Mr Malcolm (81) said there were only two rules: "Always do whatever your wife tells you to do, and be prepared to be runner-up most of the time''.
With a wink and a nod, Mrs Malcolm (79), nee Scoles, agreed.
The Sawyers Bay couple met as teenagers while playing indoor basketball.
Mr Malcolm said, "we just sort of hit it off with each other''.
"We started dating one another and before we knew it, we were married.''
Both have had high-profile regional and national sporting careers.
Mr Malcolm was a member of the national bowls pairs team in 1990, the national men's bowls selector from 1998-2008, the team manager from 1998-99, a New Zealand rowing representative (1956), a past-president of the Otago Rugby Union, a life member of the Harbour Rugby Club, and a selector for the Otago Rowing Association.
Alongside sporting endeavours, Mr Malcolm was also president of the New Zealand Waterfront Workers' Union.
Mrs Malcolm was president of Bowls New Zealand in 2003, a national councillor from 1993-2003, a member of the national umpires board in 2001 and 2002, and manager of the Otago Women's Inter-Centre bowls team for six years.
As well as bowls, she has also played basketball and cricket for Otago.
Both have received many honours for their services to sport, including an MBE for Mr Malcolm and an ONZM for Mrs Malcolm.
Both said being heavily involved in different types of sport was a major factor in reaching their marital milestone.
"When I was rowing, she [Mrs Malcolm] was flat out with basketball,'' Mr Malcolm said.
"She would come and watch me at regattas and I would go and watch her play cricket.''
Mrs Malcolm said it was a case of absence making the heart grow fonder.
"We were never in the one place together for long. So when we were together, we made the most of it.''
The couple celebrated their anniversary on Saturday night, with their five children, 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
"It was lovely to have all the kids present. It's hard to get them all together at once,'' Mrs Malcolm said.
It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
