James and Sandra Hefferan will celebrate their 60^th wedding anniversary on Thursday, November 11, after they were married on that day in 1961.

The pair grew up on the same street in Manchester, England, and immigrated to Australia when times were tough after the second world war.

James came to Australia in 1959 to work as an industrial chemist at a soap company.

"It was pretty awful in England, before and after the war. Everything was tight and my mother wanted to immigrate to Australia," said James.

"And the company I was working for said they had a position for me in Sydney."

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It was a risk, but one that paid off. Before he left, James proposed to Sandra when she was 16.

Sandra convinced her family move to Australia and they arrived the year after James did.

"We wanted to have something a bit secure, so we got engaged," said Sandra.

"When he left, I was only 16. Jim's mum said I was much too young, but we've seemed to get on alright so far!"

James and Sandra had three children, Jim, Julie and Michael, and adopted their daughter Jackie.

On top of raising their own children, the pair dedicated most of their married life to helping kids in need, fostering over 150 children for short periods at a time.

"Over 35 years, Jim and I fostered around 150 kids," said Sandra.

"We only did respite care, mainly children with disabilities.

"We talked about having another child, but I thought there are all these kids who haven't got families who are up for adoption.

"What's the point of having another child when we could give a home to a child who hasn't got one, you know?"

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After living in their Campbelltown home for 20 years, the couple bought an acreage in Bargo so the kids they cared for had space to play.

"We said look, if we're really gonna do this, we need a place where the kids can come," said Sandra.

"A place they can be with animals and have a really nice experience where they are able to ride bikes."

And after living on the property for 20 years, James and Sandra decided to move to the Shoalhaven to be closer to their family and to find a more practical home for Jackie, who had cerebral palsy.

"We were sort of getting to the stage where I was thinking, we're gonna have to give this up," said Sandra.

"Jackie was deteriorating physically, she was in a wheelchair...and we were going to have to cut down on the respite eventually."

Jackie sadly passed away last year. Sandra said it was a no-brainer when they decided to adopt her in 1969.

"I was visiting somebody else at the hospital and I said to the nurse, 'why doesn't anybody visit this little girl?'" said Sandra.

"The nurse said she was up for adoption. I came home and told Jim and he said we'll look into it. She came to us when she was six months.

"They said Jackie wouldn't live past 20. When you have children, you don't know how long you've got them for.

"So I said, 'we just have to accept that and give her the best life we can for the time we have.' And she lived to 51."

When asked what their secret to a long marriage is, James said it was "to always tell the truth" and working through the tough times.

"We've told our grandkids, you need to work at things instead of throwing it away," he said.

"And do not tell any lies, always tell the truth.

"If you can tell a girl that you love her, and you really mean it, and you're going to stay together for the rest of your life, then go for it."

Sandra said prioritising family and loving one another was the glue that held it all together.

"It wasn't always easy, Jackie was very sick and we spent a lot of time at the children's hospital," said Sandra.

"But Jim and I have always been very family-orientated. Not a week goes by we don't see our own kids.

"I think being family-orientated and fortunate enough to have them close is what's kept us going. It's what life's all about. We just put a lot of time into each other."

The pair are now enjoying their retirement travelling. They are on holiday this week to celebrate their marriage milestone, and will have a gathering with their much-loved family over the weekend.

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