After 70 years of marriage, Edith and Hans Schwarz know a thing or two about long-term relationships.
“You can’t be selfish, you have to look after the other and the other looks after you,” Edith tells AAP.
“A lot of couples today are selfish, everybody wants too much and doesn’t give enough, that’s the problem.”
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The couple, who celebrated their platinum anniversary weeks before Valentine’s Day, arrived in Australia from Germany in 1956, shortly after their wedding.
They travelled across the seas carrying a single suitcase and a dream to build a new life away from memories of war, destruction and sadness.
Hans began working as a bricklayer while gaining his builder’s licence and eventually established his own construction company.
Edith managed the books, handling the business’ accounts and administration.
Together, they built a successful living and a strong partnership.
“Hans always said, ‘I earn the money and you spend it’,” Edith says.
“It was not hard living and working with him because he was such a generous man. Everything he thought I needed, I had.”
The couple have a daughter, Jennifer, and four grandchildren. They also have a great-grandchild who has just turned one, and two more on the way.
While they lived for 60 years in the family home Hans built in Cronulla, they are now residents at Scalabrini Bexley Communities in southern Sydney.
Hans lives with dementia and while Edith does most of the talking, he chimes in to reminisce and calls her his “precious”.
“We had a hard life, like everybody, there were good times and bad times,” Edith says.
“But it was easy with him.”
Another Scalabrini Bexley couple – Chris and Nicky Bakopoulos – celebrated 70 years of marriage in October 2025, marking the occasion with a large family gathering alongside their children and grandchildren.
They didn’t have the most conventional start to their union, with Chris emigrating from Greece to Australia days after their wedding.
This resulted in two years apart before Nicky could join him but they kept in touch with handwritten letters.
When they finally reunited, Chris vowed to celebrate every special occasion they could year after year, including Valentine’s Day, while juggling family life, running a business and socialising.
His advice for a long and happy marriage comes down to sharing core values.
“Love and respect, compromise and help,” he says.
“Understand one another because whatever you expect other people to do for you, you have to do it first.”
For Michael Bagala, a flower grower, wholesaler and importer, the lead-up to Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year, second only to Mother’s Day.
The Bagala Bros flower farm, located at Horsley Park in Sydney’s west, supplies a large variety of roses across the country and they have a much sought-after stand at the Sydney Flower Market.
“My family started this business 50 years ago, my parents are migrants from Italy and they based themselves here in Sydney and decided to grow roses,” he says.
“Demand is very high for Valentine’s Day and we can have a shortage on what we can grow which means we import some from Kenya, Ecuador and Columbia.”
“The top three varieties that sell very well would be roses, oriental lilies and chrysanthemums.”
To help with rising costs of fresh flowers, Mr Bagala says florists often use their artistic flair to help customers stretch their budgets.
“Back in the day, 30 years ago, florists used to use a large volume of flowers but over the years the cost of flowers has gone up and it’s a lot more about styling,” he says.
“That means less flowers but much more creative in the way they are put together.”
Cost of living pressures mean fewer Australians are planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.
However many are still finding room in the budget to treat their love to something special.
Around three million adults plan to buy a Valentine’s gift in 2026, 800,000 fewer than had planned to spoil their partner in 2025, according to research by the Australia Retail Council and Roy Morgan.
Flowers, chocolates, alcohol and jewellery are the most popular Valentine’s Day purchases in 2026, similar to previous years.
Experiences such as dinners or trips away are also on the rise, alongside cosmetics, cards and smaller, more affordable items.
Men are twice as likely as women to buy a Valentine’s Day gift and the average spend is expected to be about $152 per person.
The anticipated subdued retail response reflects pressures many households are facing, retail council chief industry engagement officer Fleur Brown says.
“Many couples are still finding ways to say ‘I’m thinking of you’ and are still keen to mark the occasion, they’re just doing it in a more considered way,” she says.
“Australians still value moments of connection and for many it really is the thought that counts: a small gesture, a shared experience or a simple night out can still feel special.”
