The pair met at the Albury Hotel on Oxford Street, on New Year's Eve in 1989. Fresh from studying in Paris, Mr Rumble decided barely an hour into the new year that Mr McGaw, from a wool station in Goulburn, was the man for him.

''We were from two different worlds,'' Mr Rumble said, looking at his gym instructor partner. ''Opposites attract. We've just been best friends for 20 years.''

The ACT legalised single-sex relationships in May last year. But it was not until amendments took effect last week that gay couples could sign papers formalising their relationship as part of a ceremony.

The civil celebrant Judy Aulich, who performed yesterday's ceremony, has another three more couples keen to quickly say ''I do'' in the ACT.

But the federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, is considering the legislation which has caused a stir among those who say civil partnerships erode the sanctity of marriage and the importance of family in setting social mores.