Melbourne man proposes to his partner at a water polo game

A Melbourne-based man has proposed to his partner at a gay water polo game, one day after a Yes win was announced for the postal survey on marriage equality.

Mark Keevers went along to support his partner Andrew, who plays for Melbourne Surge, during a game last night.

At the end of the game, Keevers walked over and wrapped a rainbow towel around him, as Jess Glynn’s Hold My Hand began to play.

“We wake up to that song every day,” he told the Star Observer.

“Wherever we go we always hold hands because we both love each other, and we’re proud of that.”

Eight of Andrew’s team mates then quickly changed from their sport gear into speedos that bore letters spelling out: marry me?

Keevers then gave an emotional speech before pulling out a ring and asking the question himself, to which Andrew said yes.

“He is just everything,” Keevers said.

“He has this passion for everything he does. We have the same values, and want the same things, it’s perfect.

“The little things we disagree on – like the fact I hate coriander and he loves it – are not big.”

The newly engaged couple met at Midsumma Carnival earlier this year, after Keevers spotted Andrew at the sports precinct and felt too shy to approach him.

“We were kind of too scared to talk to each other at first, but after a couple of weeks I was already going along to watch his water polo games,” he said.

While Keevers’ motivation to propose had nothing to do with the postal survey process, he believes it has been a timely and validating result.

“He’s a New Zealand citizen so we would’ve gotten married in New Zealand regardless, but it would be better if it was recognised in my country as well,” he said.

“The Yes result is completely validating. To see that people in my own country see me as legitimate and the same.

“The proposal was timed accordingly – I thought, I’m going to get a Yes win in the postal survey and make sure he knows about it the next day.”