
The retired couple are celebrating their Diamond wedding anniversary.
They have been active in Rotary and Inner Wheel, along with being step-grandparents to many in the extended family and friendship circle.
Originally from Invercargill and Mataura in Southland, Harry and Jean met in Gore and dated for several years before marrying in 1963.
They built their first home together and were active in the Gore Swimming Club and Operatic Society.
They welcomed their first born, Hamish, in 1968, followed by Craig in 1970.
A promotion took the young family to Thames on the Coromandel for about four years in the late 1970s, where heavy involvement in swimming was rounded out by ongoing Rotary club involvement, and helping out the local community with the multiple floods that occurred while they lived there.
Seeking a return to the mainland, they moved to Rangiora at the end of 1981, with Harry working for NZI until his retirement.
Jean worked initially at the Family Counselling Centre for many years, with her final role being with the Cancer Society in Christchurch, until she also retired.
Many Rangiora residents learnt to swim with the Dudley Park Swimming Club which they founded in the 1980s.
It is not uncommon for them to receive random thanks from passers-by for their help.
In retirement, they are often on the road enjoying their motor home, greeting many a foreign tourist as they travel the country. Or they can be heard sharing stories about their son Craig, who is a practising chiropractor in Munich, Germany, and Hamish, who is a doctor of sports medicine in Dunedin, where he lives with his wife and two sons.