Life still a ball on couple's 65th anniversary

Oamaru couple Bettina and Jim Calder celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary tomorrow. Photo by...
Oamaru couple Bettina and Jim Calder celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary tomorrow. Photo by Rebecca Ryan.
Jim Calder met Bettina Little for the first time at a ball in Invercargill about 67 years ago.

She was a ''very shy little girl'' wearing a pink frock, who had been set up to go with Mr Calder by her sister.

Growing up with no brothers or cousins, ''in those days, I was scared of boys'', Mrs Calder (87) said.

''I ran inside when he gave me a kiss goodnight [after the ball],'' she said.

But it marked the start of something special and they were married two years later at First Church in Invercargill.

''And I've been taking her to a ball ever since'', Mr Calder (88) said.

Tomorrow the Calders celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary.

They lived in Invercargill for the first six months of their marriage, before moving to Central Otago.

Over the years, Mr Calder has worked as a mechanic, in orchards, in forestry, at a dry cleaner's and as a painter.

Mr Calder said he always wanted to be a dressmaker, but his father did not approve.

''Parents in those days told their kids what to do - and you did it,'' he said.

''We never had heaps of money. That never worried us very much. As long as our kids were happy, that's most important.''

Mr and Mrs Calder have four children: Lex, Lindsay, Kenneth and Julie, eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

They moved to Oamaru 28 years ago, seeking a better climate, after growing tired of the extremes of Central Otago winters and summers.

The success of their union lay in ''a bit of give and take'', Mrs Calder said.

''We have our arguments, it's only natural,'' she said.

''But we get along all right,'' Mr Calder said.

Their anniversary will be a low-key affair, probably a meal out at the Oamaru Club, where Lindsay is a chef.

rebecca.ryan@odt.co.nz

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