Our People
22 March, 2026
Snakes, measles and 70 years of marriage
Jim and Betty Barham’s wedding day in 1956 had all the ingredients of a classic country story — strict traditions, unexpected drama, and a sense of humour that has carried them through 70 years of marriage. The well-known Stawell couple marked their platinum anniversary last week with family and a visit from Northern Grampians Shire mayor Karen Hyslop, reflecting on a life built around partnership, resilience and community.
But it is their wedding day in Rupanyup — and everything that nearly went wrong — that still draws a laugh.
Jim was animated as he recalled the morning.
“I was in Marnoo and the wedding was in Rupanyup in the morning,” he said.
“You had to get married in the morning, because if you didn’t there’d be nobody there in the afternoon — they’d all be playing cricket or football.”
Before he even reached the ceremony, however, the day had already taken a turn.
“On the way, just out of Marnoo, I killed a snake, and I thought I’d better go and finish him off,” Jim said.
“And he reared up and nearly bit me.”
Still shaken, Jim arrived in Rupanyup only to be met with another shock.
“I was just getting over that when I arrived, and Betty’s auntie Leila said, ‘Isn’t it terrible about poor Betty?’” he said.
“I said, ‘What did you say?’ and she said, ‘Oh Jim, haven’t they told you?’ — and then she walked away.”
Left none the wiser, Jim pressed on.
“So I got to the wedding breakfast and asked Betty, ‘Are you all right?’ and she said, ‘No, I’ve got the measles.’”
For Betty, the illness had come on suddenly in the days before the wedding — something she remembers vividly.
“I couldn’t talk — I had a croaky voice and felt awful,” she said.
“My younger sister had them a few weeks before and I said, ‘Oh, I won’t get the measles, I’ve had them’ — but you can get them twice.”
Despite it all, there was never really any question the day would go ahead.
Jim said one comment from that time had stayed with him ever since.
“She said to her mother a couple of days beforehand, ‘I feel awful — if this is getting married, I’m only doing it once.’”
Betty laughed as she recalled it.
“But anyway, the wedding went off very well,” she said. “A wonderful country family wedding.”
In many ways, the day set the tone for what followed — not perfect, not without its surprises, but held together by determination and a shared sense of humour.
From those beginnings, the Barhams built their life together across the district, eventually settling in Stawell, where they would become familiar and well-respected figures in the community.
Jim’s working life spanned real estate, stock and insurance, while Betty balanced raising their four sons with helping in the business and contributing to community life.
“If you come to a new town, you volunteer,” Betty said. “You’ve got to be a volunteer.”
Over the decades, the couple saw their community change, their family grow, and life present its share of challenges.
“Of course there’s been some bumps on the road — if anybody tries to tell you that there won’t be, you wouldn’t trust them,” Jim said.
Betty’s advice for the key to a long-lasting union was simple and plain.
“Just keep your cool,” she said with a laugh.
Seventy years on, the story of their wedding day — snakes, measles and all — remains a favourite.
But it is everything that came after that tells the real story: a lifetime of shared work, steady commitment and a partnership that has endured.
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