The Southern Cross | September 2024

When Bev Garton and her twin sister ‘Bronny’ gathered their loved ones to celebrate eight decades of sisterhood, the siblings were on top of the world. The celebration took place on the rooftop of the Glenelg apartment block they call home, and the love surrounding them was uplifting.

“Our birthday is on Saint Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day (August 8) so we both went to Mass here at Our Lady of Victories’ Catholic Church (Glenelg Catholic Parish) at lunch time,” Bev said.

“Saint Mary MacKillop has always been an inspiration to us, particularly because of what she did for the marginalised and because our entire education was with the Josephites.”
Bev and ‘Bronny’ have a lot of love to give. They always have

“Bronny and I have always been very close,” Bev said.

“We both had four children of similar ages and we’ve both got two sons in heaven. We’ve also both got children with disabilities.”

Bev and her husband Paul have 10 biological grandchildren and five step grandchildren, while Bronny has four children, four grandchildren and three step grandchildren. She and her husband Steve also have one great grandchild.

It all makes for large, rambunctious family gatherings.

Fortunately, the twins’ childhood in Renmark, South Australia, prepared them for that.

“We grew up at the back of the presbytery and across the road from the church,” Bev said.

“Dad collected stray animals and Mum collected stray people. Our dad wasn’t a Catholic, but he supported mum. Mum’s father was an Irish Catholic who died in his late 30s from a heart problem, so Nana bought up the seven children as Catholics.”

Bev smiles as she flicks through black and white photographs depicting their youth and older sister Wendy who died in her early thirties.

“Mum had an amazing faith, we used to pray the rosary at night around the fire. We went to church every morning before school and having nuns living nearby and having contact with the priest all the time made our faith very strong,” Bev recalled.

“At one stage, both Bronny and I thought that perhaps our calling was to be nuns but then I thought ‘no, I think I would like to have a family’.”

Not before consulting God.

“I said to the Lord, ‘If that’s what you’re calling me to do, it has to be someone for whom you are the most important thing in their life.”
Along came Paul Garton, then president of St Peter’s YCW.

“We met, and I could see that his faith was very important to him.”

Paul looks up from the coffee he is preparing for his beloved wife. He was in the seminary for six months before Bev knew him.

“Bev is a wonderful lady,” he said. “She has been a very special gift from God to me and to our family. She always puts herself last and she never focuses on herself.”

Paul and Bev married 57 years ago and are excited to celebrate 58 in January 2025.

Their special song is ‘I wouldn’t trade you for the world’ by The Bachelors, circa 1964.

“I wouldn’t trade you for the world. Or the pearls in the sea,” Paul sang as he took a seat next to his wife.

The secret to a long and enduring marriage? Love and respect.

“We did a Marriage Encounter weekend in 1980,” Bev said.

“It’s for people with strong marriages, who would like to enhance them even more. Marriage Encounter has a weekend coming up in November, so we’re going go and have a romantic weekend.”

There hasn’t been much time to rest on their laurels.

After having four biological sons, the couple adopted seven children with special needs.

Bronny, who was a personal assistant for many years, is also an equally caring person.

She and her husband Steve built homes for people with brain injuries like her son Simon who was in a car accident when he was 19.  Her daughter Lucy was also in a car accident and suffered extensive injuries.

They’ve learned a lot from their precious troupe.

“The best thing you can learn from children with a disability is their unconditional love,” Bev said.

https://thesoutherncross.org.au/people/2024/08/30/sisters-united-in-family-and-faith/