This Mother’s Day, family and friends will gather to celebrate a remarkable milestone—the 60th wedding anniversary of Barry and Pamela Evans.
The milestone was officially celebrated today (8th May 2025) as Mr and Mrs Evans were joined by their two daughters, Beverley and Julie, Beverley’s husband, Mike Barber, and Tony Piccolo MP for an afternoon tea in Hillier Park.
Mr Piccolo said it was beautiful to hear the countless memories and lifetime of adventure the pair have shared together.
“They have such a quiet strength and a wonderful sense of humour, and show that sixty years of marriage is not just about the years ahead, but the experiences embraced along the way,” said Mr Piccolo.
“Coming to this country from overseas as well, we were able to share our experiences on how we’ve built our lives here in Australia as their journey is one of many about the importance of taking chances and embracing change.
“My office manager who joined us, James Agness, was quickly recognised as well from previous public visits and is also originally from the UK, so helped with a lot of the rugby talk as well.
“But I’m pleased the pair and their entire family have created a wonderful life in Australia and our community.”
Their story began in 1964, when Barry first noticed "the girl next door," Pamela, before heading to Manchester United’s FA Cup 6th Round 2nd replay against Sunderland at the neutral ground of Leeds Road in the pair’s hometown of Huddersfield.
“My mate Tony came around and had tickets to the match and asked if I was interested, and I said yes,” said Barry.
“We stayed in for tea that night and when we’re coming out, Pamela stood on the step talking to me as our side doors used to face each.
“As me and Tony left, he said, ‘Who’s that?’, and I said, “I don’t know, but I’ll certainly find out.”
A year later, they were married on the 8th of May 1965, in a Catholic church that once served as a cinema from their childhood days – the same day as the rugby final much to Barry's dislike.
Determined to shake off complacency and boredom, the couple set off on an adventure and moved to Australia with daughters Julie and Beverley, aged eight and ten.
Though Beverley initially missed home, she grew to embrace the change, and their Australian journey became one of rich experiences.
During the celebratory tea, Mike recalled how, unknown to him at the time, the Evans family were part of a historic flight during their relocation to Australia.
"I remember when there were headlines of the first jumbo jet set to land in Adelaide due to an emergency on the plane and I ran outside as it flew over as it was a historic occasion,” said Mike.
“All those years later after I meet Beverley, who happened to be on that plane with her family when they came to Australia."
During their stints in Elizabeth Downs and Craigmore before spending the last 15 years in Hiller Park, Barry carved out a career as a plumber before transitioning into roles as a training manager for the Master Builders Association and a lecturer at TAFE Regency Park.
Pamela, ever the heart of the home, ensured stability through life’s transitions.
Through their time together, family has been the most important thing.
Though, they did enjoy 16+ years away travelling in a caravan across Australia—much to the annoyance of family as mobile coverage was hard to come by.
These days, Pamela and Barry live a quiet life enjoying the Hillier Park Residential Village community and trying their hand at a few different hobbies.
But Barry indicated he must be careful what he suggests as hobbies around the family after being left with a heap of paints, brushes and canvases after mentioning painting.
The pair finally became Australian Citizens in 2015—albeit just to get access to cheaper Australian passports.
Today, their legacy continues with four grandchildren and, most recently, their first great-grandchild, Henry.
Their daughters have found success—Julie retiring after many years with NAB, and Beverley, who built a career across government and politics before moving into consulting.
The Evans family will also be celebrating another milestone next Monday as their grandson Joshua graduates with a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of Adelaide, with his uncle Mike Barber presiding over the ceremony.