IT wasn’t love at first sight for Loree when she met Peter Hanlon as a schoolgirl.
He chose her as a dance partner during school dance classes and 60 years later the Mansfield couple celebrated their diamond anniversary on March 21.
Standing beneath their olive grove at Escarpment House, where they created their escape from the city over 27 years ago, they are clearly in love and enjoy a busy life together.
Loree recalls their wedding day at the Anglican church St James in Ivanhoe.
“We were married by the Canon and there no flowers due to it being Easter,” she said.
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But her description of the reception venue was much more memorable.
“The New Alexander was a blue stone brick building in St Kilda, it was an amazing place, it had a ball room and a separate dining room,” Loree said.
She recalled 120 guests with extras for supper and little nooks to enjoy drinks and canapes.
Loree’s mother, a dress designer, decided to send her daughter to Swinburne Girls School in Glenferrie, where she also attended.
Peter was at the senior Swinburne Boys School when the two schools would come together for dance lessons.
“I picked Loree as the girl I wanted to dance with,” he said.
Her response was, “I was not happy”.
“I had size 13 and half feet, and was a hopeless dancer,” said Peter.
But as chance would have it, Loree was sitting on the seawall at Dromana during a beachside holiday when Peter walked past with his parents.
A conversation ensued, and a close friendship resulted, which led to something more serious several years later.
Peter said he turned 21 on St Patrick’s Day on March 17 before the wedding on March 21, 1963.
Loree was still six months off her 21st birthday.
She had plans to become a dietician at school, but her mother believed her daughter had inherited her dressmaking skills.
“I got a placement in the rag trade in Flinders Lane with a high-class fashion designer when I was 16,” said Loree.
“I was put on the cutting table, but because I was the right size I would model for clients,” she said.
Peter, meanwhile, spent 12 years in technical school, later focusing on mechanical and industrial engineering.
He secured a role as a cadet with the Department of Supply working in an ordinand's factory.
In 1972, Peter earned a degree in economics and politics at Monash University.
They started married life living in a bungalow at the back of Loree’s grandparents’ property on the cusp of Fairfield and Alphington.
Back then, she said they were surrounded by an orchard.
The family grew as their two daughters arrived, one who lives in Melbourne and the other in Deniliquin.
Peter and Loree are now proud grandparents to eight grandchildren aged 17 to 29.
The lure to come to Mansfield was through locals Jock and Sue Dyson’s daughter who went to school with their daughter at Presbyterian Ladies College in Melbourne.
The families forged a lasting friendship.
Loree said they were attracted to Mansfield and liked the climate as well, so they bought an undeveloped pastoral block of 23 acres with stunning views.
It wasn’t straightforward when they wanted to build on the land, according to Loree.
Council would not issue a planning permit without upgrading the existing road, which required landholders to each pay $10,000.
They finally built their house in 1991 but did not move to Mansfield full-time until 1997.
Peter retired early, but Loree wasn’t keen to move from the city because she had a good job.
Her career included being a clerical assistant at Latrobe University and “chefing” with Spotless Food Services.
Their country home, known as Escarpment House, also hosted a bed and breakfast, with Loree putting her culinary skills to use for guests to enjoy.
Unfortunately, when public liability requirements came in, Loree gave it away.
Peter turned his hand to plant grape vines for wine until the bottom dropped out of the market, so he tried growing garlic, which rotted in the ground.
So, this led to finding a more viable option, such as planting an olive grove and producing quality olive oil to sell and becoming a member of the Strathbogie olive growers’ group.
Unfortunately, their trees were hit with lace bugs three years ago, and they have been forced to spray.
Loree loves gardening and grows a lot of produce, including fruit, which she sells locally.
She also proudly shows off a cupboard full of homemade jams and sauces.
The Hanlons learned the meaning of “ïn sickness and in health” two years ago when Peter fell off the tractor and broke his neck.
He said he was wearing a “halo” for 12 weeks but has recovered surprisingly well.
The pair enjoys travelling and hopes to take a special trip to celebrate their diamond anniversary.
