John and Rose Potts celebrate 50 years of marriage back where it all began

Busselton’s Old Courthouse is a trip down memory lane for many locals and tourists but none more so than Rose and John Potts who 50 years ago on July 14 were married in the-then functioning venue. The pair met with the Times at the courthouse to reflect on 50 incredible years of love and laughter which John brings down to “good luck”. Not one for fanfare, the couple skipped a traditional big white wedding and instead got married before their parents in the winter of 1972, with Rose dressed in a white lace shift dress and her finest go-go boots. “We went to Bunbury in the morning to buy a wedding ring . . . it cost $10.50 for a nine carat gold ring,” Rose laughed. “Came home and went to get my hair done and then got ready. “After we got married we went home to Mum’s . . . and had a spread, my mum made the wedding cake and it was really good.” Following the union the couple left Busselton and raised three sons before returning to the coastal city in 1998 to be with family. Marrying at the young ages of 18 and 21, Rose said the 50 years have come with “a lot of learning”. “There was a lot of growing up for me, being from the town all my life . . . raising kids, it was hard work, but we’ve had a lot of fun times together,” she said.