A BALLROOM embrace in 1946 was the beginning of more than 60 years of happiness for Moe couple Merv and Gladys Burrage.
The couple believes having similar interests such as dancing has been the key to a successful marriage.
Today the couple are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
Merv and Gladys are well known in their beloved Moe for their unwavering commitment to projects they are passionate about.
They are responsible for the establishment of events such as the Moe Jazz Festival and groups including the Gippsland Lighthorse Association and Ceremonial Regiment and the Moe and District Table Tennis Association.
But their love affair with each other started with ballroom dancing at Leggett's dance hall in Prahran, where they met while Merv lived in Melbourne.
``I saw her dancing and I thought `geez she's not a bad dancer,' and I was looking for a partner at the time,'' Merv said.
``I went and I asked her for a dance and she said `yes'.
``I asked her `would you like to become my partner and take up ballroom dancing?'. So that was the start of our 60 years.''
Merv and Gladys were dance partners for two years before they wed on 16 June 1948.
They had moved back to Moe after Merv's father William Burrage fell ill and Merv took over his duties on the Water Board.
At just 26 years-old Merv decided to start Gippsland's first dance school in Moe.
``There was nothing for the younger kids to do,'' Merv said.
``It was just after the war and it was pretty lonely for the kids so we decided we would start it up.''
The Merv Burrage School of Dancing originally ran from the old Moe Fire Brigade Hall at the corner of George and Kirk streets and later Shaw's Arcade.
``Thirty of our 60 years was tied up in the dancing,'' Merv said.
``In five years from 1955 to 1960 we won 33 Victorian titles and 15 Australian titles and two of those were a teams formation,'' he said.
Merv and Gladys said they and almost 50 other teachers taught thousands of students through the school.
In 1966 they closed the school but still gave private lessons to competition dancers.
Merv said his love of dancing began at a young age and continued while he was in the army.
``We were out at these dances they used to put on for the soldiers in Albury.
``And one particular night there was this couple, it was absolutely brilliant to watch them dance, they were fantastic.''
Merv said he noticed none of the soldiers asked the woman to dance.
``I went over and I asked him (a soldier), they were a married couple as it turns out, could I have a dance with his partner?
``And he looked me up and down and I suppose he thought, `he's harmless','' Merv laughed.
``So I had a dance with her and every Tuesday night after that they were always there and I used to get one dance with her.
``I learnt quite a bit from her and I think that's what started the ball rolling.''
Gladys said she had always loved dancing and no dance today was as good as a waltz.
``Leggett's was the place to go for dancing in those days and if people didn't want to dance they could go upstairs and sit in the great big balcony and watch,'' she said.
``Everybody went, especially Friday nights and Saturday nights because that's when the girls didn't have to go to bed early.''
The couple also established the Australian Dancing Society Gippsland Branch Social Club.
Merv said a 60th wedding anniversary was about ``what you achieved during those 60 years''.
``You can't go through married life without having fights, you've got your differences,'' he said.
``But we did have our same interests,'' Gladys reminded Merv.
``Table tennis and basketball, our interests were similar, he likes music and I like the same music, so most of our interests were the same.
``You've got to do things together, not just like `you go that way I go this way'.''
``That's what makes a difference I think,'' Merv added.
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