False starts, soulmates and family ties: Eight of the most unforgettable Two of Us stories of 2025

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December 21, 2025 — 5.00am

Good Weekend’s much-loved Two of Us column explores the deep and abiding bond between two people who have known each other intimately through the best of times – and the worst. Here are a selection of this year’s columns that moved and delighted readers.

Anh Do and Suzanne Do

Anh and Suzanne Do. “It was love at first sight for me,” says Anh.

Comedian and writer Anh Do met his wife, Suzanne Do, while they were at university. While his sense of humour has underpinned his career, he can’t always joke his way out of situations with Suzanne.

Richard Marles and Sam Marles

“We’re both very driven,” Sam says. “We’re both obsessed with what we do, even if we’ve taken very different paths.”

Federal Defence Minister Richard Marles was, like any parent, concerned when his son, Sam, made the transition to mixed martial arts. Marles wanted to know about the risk of injury and what sort of career it would lead to. As he says, it shows you have no say over what your children choose to do.

Walter Mikac and Isabella Mikac

“We have the same sense of humour, the same eyebrows, the same taste in music,” she says.

Walter Mikac has endured devastating loss when his daughters Alannah and Madeline were killed in the Port Arthur massacre. His daughter Isabella was born five years after the tragedy. Mikac says he wants Izzy to understand that living through such a horrible ordeal has given him the “superpower” of understanding the fragility of life.

Ian Forsyth and Scott Follows

Ian Forsyth (left) and Scott Follows. “This relationship – two guys having a coffee every Sunday at 8am – is unique,” says Follows. “I hope it lasts another 30 years.”

Ian and Scott’s friendship began when they kept running into each other at South Melbourne Market. Their regular coffee catch-ups have evolved over 15 years and provide the knowledge that “if you want to talk to someone, you can”.

Onella Muralidharan and Ryan Smith

Ryan Smith and Onella Muralidharan. “In Ryan, I’ve found someone who doesn’t care about my weight or skin,” says Muralidharan.

Model and beauty influencer Onella Muralidharan, 26, met her fiancé, Ryan Smith, 26, on Tinder – but only just. Ryan accidentally swiped “No” when Onella’s profile first popped up and it took them several more years before they finally got together.

Kawai Yeung and David Kaunitz

When David Kaunitz first met Kawai Yeung he told a friend he had just met his future wife. Kawai took a lot more convincing that David was the one and, after a few dates, was quite disinterested. David decided to pull out all the stops when they went to the Solomons and called on an entire village to join his efforts to woo her.

Sean French and Nicci Gerrard

Sean French (left) and Nicci Gerrard. “Until I met Nicci, I’d never written more than 1000 words,” says French.

Could you work with your spouse? Sean French, 66, and Nicci Gerrard, 67, have been married for 34 years and written 27 books together, all thrillers, under the pseudonym Nicci French.

Brett Duncan and Jess Colgan

he hugs me,” says Jess. “I often feel I don’t deserve his patience.”

Brett Duncan, 39, and his sister, Jess Colgan, 41, run a vegan cake business in West Melbourne. At the age of 14, Brett decided to come out to his sister. “I was scared to tell Jess I was gay. When I was 14, I wrote it down, gave her the piece of paper, then locked myself in the bathroom. When I heard a knock, I opened the door slowly. She said, “I love you no matter what.”