Colin and Val Winter (nee Wemyss) have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary by revisiting favourite spots they went to on their honeymoon in Dunedin.
‘‘After 60 years, we’re nearly one person now,’’ Mrs Winter told the Oamaru Mail.
And the secret to a long and happy marriage?
‘‘Allowing each person to be their best selves’’ and having personal space, Mrs Winter said.
‘‘We both believe that one of the secrets to staying sane is each of you having your own space so that you can watch what you want on TV, you can sit and be quiet, or you can have your music loud,’’ she added.
Mr Winter said that ‘‘love, trust, forgiveness and humour’’ were all key ingredients to a successful marriage.
However, Mrs Winter did chip in that others may not find her husband’s humour particularly funny.
‘‘We’ve been on a road trip with two of our daughters and one of the things they say about their dad is nobody else is laughing with his dad jokes,’’ she said.
When they first met in Wellington, Mrs Winter had just returned from London.
She said: ‘‘I went to England — four years I stayed in swinging ’60s London searching for the love of my life and came back to New Zealand in 1965, still searching for the love of my life.
‘‘We were introduced at a party ... there was obviously enough spark there for him to want to see me again and me to want to see him again — and the rest is history.’’
The couple married in 1966 at St Columba’s Church in Naenae, north of Wellington.
Mr Winter was a glazier by trade before spending 32 years working at the wharf in Wellington, while Mrs Winter worked a number of different jobs.
She started at John Dickinson Stationery and also spent ‘‘many years’’ as a salesperson at Farmers, as well as running her own beauty therapy business.
The couple had four children — Tanya, Jason, Jody and Jonathan — as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
They moved to Oamaru almost 20 years ago and quickly fell in love with its quirks, Mrs Winter said.
‘‘We always loved dressing up but here we dress up in Victorian clothes, it’s so fabulous.’’
The couple have also enjoyed countless adventures in their beloved caravan, called Bumble.
Lake Hawea and Hanmer Springs were favourite travel destinations of theirs, Mr Winter said.
They also spend plenty of time in their garden.
‘‘We both, me in particular, love gardening and Colin has always been my back-up.
‘‘I’m the weeder and the organiser and Colin is always there ready with his saw and his chainsaw.’’
The Winters celebrated their anniversary by visiting places in Dunedin that they went to that they ‘‘loved’’, including Larnach Castle, Aramoana and going albatross spotting aboard a Monarch Wildlife Cruise.
