Allan and Joseph say I do

Allan Collins and Joseph Tang may be Noosa’s first married same-sex couple, after celebrating their wedding last Thursday at their Noosa home officiated by local celebrant Jacqueline Gray.
The excited couple started planning their wedding as soon as the plebiscite was announced last year, but kept it a secret telling only their celebrant. It has been quite a wait after 32 years together.
They wanted the wedding to be an occasion for only the two of them but the law requires two witnesses, so they invited two friends for coffee.
“Jacquie arrived at 10.30 and we then told our friends they were here to be witnesses at our wedding. It all became very emotional,” Allan said.
“The ceremony in our beautiful Noosa backyard was perfect. After some celebratory glasses of vintage champagne – pink of course – with Jacquie and our witnesses the two of us had a lovely lunch together at one of Noosa’s great restaurants.
“We then spent the afternoon telling our families and friends what we had just done and fielding all the complaints about nobody being invited.”
“For us to be able to be married is a statement to our family and friends, and the rest of the world, of our love and our ongoing commitment,” Allan said.
“We have always been open about our relationship, but even after 32 years together the legal marriage ceremony wording is something we wanted to commit to.
“Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of two people, to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.
“And very importantly we want our partnership to be legally recognised so that there will never be any complications should one of us become ill or pass away.
“Now we feel much more secure in the knowledge that our relationship will have full legal recognition and we will have the same rights as heterosexual married couples.”
The couple met in Hong Kong in 1986.
Joseph lived in Hong Kong and Allan was working there for the Australian Government. They moved to Athens together in 1987 when Allan was transferred there and came to live in Australia in 1988.
“In those days same-sex relationships weren’t recognised by the Australian Government and for us to stay together Allan had to resign his position overseas,” Joseph said.
They lived and worked in Sydney but regularly holidayed in Noosa and five years ago purchased a house here.