Mr and Mrs Duffy were heartily congratulated on attaining the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding day, and received quite a number of costly presents, including two nuggets of gold.
Mr Duffy is a native of Ulster, Ireland, and Mrs Duffy came from the Highlands of Scotland.
Both came to the colonies when young.
Mr Duffy landed in Melbourne in 1860, and was engaged in farm work in Victoria for three years.
Landing at Invercargill in 1863, he went to the Nokomai and Nevis diggings, but met with no success, and returned to Invercargill, where he worked for the well-known Jerusalem Smith.
After a spell there he decided to return to Australia, but found work with Mr Francis Fulton, at Forbury, where he met Mrs Duffy.
After nine months at Outram, when the West Coast rush broke out, Mr Duffy left for the diggings in the second steamer that took its departure from Dunedin.
At the Canary diggings, on the Grey, he did well, and struck two good claims.
From the Canary he went to Westport, and was again successful, having a claim on Anderson's Flat that held out for two years, and paid well.
Mr and Mrs Duffy were married on April 3, 1866, and went to Tapanui in 1868, having resided there ever since and reared a large family.
Of the family of seven sons and three daughters all are living except a son, who died some few years ago.
Mr and Mrs Duffy are endowed with a good measure of vitality, and quite lately the former might have been seen building a sheaf stack in the harvest field, and doing good work.
• Recently the Prime Minister communicated with the Canterbury Jockey Club with regard to the clashing of its meeting on Easter Tuesday with Anzac Day.
He suggested that the club might see its way to postpone the meeting in view of the celebrations, partly religious and partly patriotic, that were to be held throughout the dominion on Anzac Day.
Tonight the Prime Minister received the following reply from the secretary of the club: - "At your request the committee has postponed Tuesday's races.''
Mr Massey despatched the following reply: - "On behalf of the Government I desire to thank you for your telegram informing me that at my request the Canterbury Jockey Club has agreed to postpone the meeting which was to be held on Easter Tuesday, and which, unfortunately, clashed with Anzac Day. I highly appreciate the club's courtesy and consideration in postponing the meeting, and am quite sure that what the club has done in this respect will meet with the approval of the great majority of the people of the dominion.'' - ODT, 15.4.1916.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
