NINETY years of shared history came together in one place when twin brothers Brian and Colin celebrated their milestone birthdays side by side at Coffs Haven Residential Care Service.
Now living under the same roof once more, the twins spend their days overlooking the Boambee Valley, moving easily between the outdoors and the warmth of conversation with staff and fellow residents.
They talk, they tease, and they keep up a lifelong habit of good-natured banter that shows no sign of slowing.
“It feels quite normal to be together now,” they both say, a simple line that carries a lifetime of shared chapters.
Born in Gulgong, Brian and Colin arrived as the youngest of seven children.
Their memories of the town come alive through stories told with humour and colour.
As they remember it, Gulgong “got a royal visitor every now and then,” a recollection delivered with a grin that hints at stories polished by time.
“We’ve told a lot of lies,” they joke, laughing together – a running gag that keeps everyone around them guessing and smiling.
Colin recalls a childhood filled with energy, “getting into all sorts of trouble” and excelling in sport.
Brian, meanwhile, enjoys pointing out their differences.
“I am the oldest by 15 minutes.
“I’m the serious worrier — Col is the happy-go-lucky one.”
Their early years were also shaped by loss.
Their mother died from pneumonia when they were just 7-years-old, at a time when, as they note, “there was no penicillin.”
With their father often travelling for work, relatives stepped in to raise them.
“We got mixed up with aunts and uncles — they were very good to us,” they recall.
Boarding school in Armidale followed, and from there, adulthood unfolded with the brothers rarely far apart.
Work, like life, often overlapped.
In Canberra, they ran neighbouring businesses, Colin a café and Brian a printing business.
They lived and worked together across NSW, including Armidale, Wollongong, Canberra, Sydney and Jindabyne, before heading north in 1955.
“There’d been a downturn in work at the Snowy Mountains Scheme,” they explain.
“We heard Coffs had a nice climate, so we came here.”
Their arrival in Coffs Harbour came with an adventure.
Brian lived aboard his boat, Tardis, anchored in what was then a busy trading port.
Before long, the brothers settled on Mt Brown Road near Karangi Dam, building houses across the road from one another.
Colin’s love of the bush took shape through what he proudly calls “the Wallaby Track Tours.”
He guided visitors through bushland behind Coffs Harbour, pointing out wildlife along the way.
“We’d look for koalas, wallabies, kangaroos and snakes,” he recalls.
“Then I’d take them to see Brian doing wood-carving demonstrations and sell some pieces.
“Sometimes we camped in the bushland.”
Brian’s woodworking grew from hobby to headline.
Encouraged by his then wife, he entered a competition and quickly found himself gaining attention far beyond Australia.
“I made a bowl out of rosewood,” he said.
“Next thing, I was getting known in Australia and Europe.”
Despite the recognition, Brian says the financial rewards never quite followed, though he remains convinced he has spotted his work appearing on Antiques Roadshow.
Beyond woodwork, Brian devoted himself to growing prize-winning camellias and went on to found the Canberra branch of the Camellia Research Society.
Both brothers shared a love of the outdoors, filling their years with sailing, spearfishing and active living.
One memory still stands out sharply for Brian.
His first wife worked for the Prime Minister at the time, Harold Holt.
“Like us, he was a mad spear fisherman, so we saw him a lot in the water — in fact, we saw him a few days before he disappeared.”
Family remains central to their lives.
Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren visit regularly, but it is their shared presence that brings them the most comfort now.
Coffs Haven Recreational Activities Officer Shiani Scotford sees that connection every day.
“Their bond is incredibly powerful to see in their day-to-day life — they walk together and talk, always involving others in conversations.
They are really good story tellers and other residents love hearing their stories.”
“This is the kind of thing that is important to us, creating environments that feel like home and celebrating each of our resident’s individuality,” Shiani said.
True to form, the brothers avoided any grand fuss for their birthday.
They marked the occasion quietly with family, staff and fellow residents, raising a low-alcohol beer in celebration.
By Leigh WATSON
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