A couple who have spent their lives helping others are today enjoying a day dedicated just to them.
Alf and Berynice Ford are celebrating 70 years of marriage. The couple tied the knot on November 26, 1949 at the Salvation Army Church, Coorparoo.
Their selfless nature took the Fords to the slums of Rio de Janeiro for Salvation Army missionary work in the 1960s, where their children Lester, born in 1953, and Delece, born in 1956, spent their formative years.
The Fords, now Alexandra Hills residents, learnt Portuguese quickly in order to assimilate into a welcoming community.
They ran a boys home which survives today. There was no government funding, so Alf was in charge of raising money for the home. He would knock on the doors of local businesses and homes, asking for donations.
They remember the heat, both in the weather and the passionate nature of the locals. A coup in 1964 threatened their safety.
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The Australian embassy organised a jet which was ready to fly its nationals home with little notice. The Fords were told to have a suitcase packed and be ready to leave with half an hour's warning.
"There were 75 men, women and children," Alf, now 92, said.
"They were going to fly us to French Guyana."
In the end, little blood was shed. Alf said that was a 'miracle'.
The Fords had two stints in Rio, 20 years apart, as well as in Sao Paulo, before a heart attack and triple bypass surgery for Alf sent them home permanently. The Fords also worked in Papua New Guinea.
Clinton, Stuart and Kristan are the couple's grandchildren, and they have three great grandchildren.
Lester paid tribute to his parents for their achievement.
"You make a vow when you get married, and you stick to it," he said.
"They have been through thick and thin together. It's a case of having stuck together through everything.
"No marriage is perfect."
Berynice, now 91, said not getting people's problems confused with their own was the key to continued happiness.
"When you help others, you don't let other people's problems affect your relationships," she said.
The couple will celebrate their achievement with family and friends at the Bayside Community Church.
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