Norrie and Noleen Crawley have reached a major milestone, 70 years of marriage. Photo / Warren Buckland
This time 70 years ago, Norrie Crawley and Noleen Mackie were a mixture of nerves and excitement as they prepared for the biggest day of their lives.
Now 70 years to the day, the couple have achieved something few do - their Platinum wedding anniversary.
"What am I doing," joked Mr Crawley when asked how he was feeling prior to his wedding.
"I was feeling alright I think," Mrs Crawley said.
They were married at the Undenominational Church in Tikokino.
The wedding itself went smoothly, but the pair almost missed their honeymoon after they arrived in Waipawa too late for the train.
A helpful wedding guest managed to delay the train, and after a frantic drive to Waipukurau the pair managed to get on it and make their honeymoon in Auckland.
The pair met at a VE day dance at the end of the war, in the Hastings Municipal Theatre.
"A foxtrot was on or something," laughed Mr Crawley.
At the time he worked for the forest service in Gwavas Forest, while she was a cook at both Gwavas Homestead and Sawyer's Arms Hotel in Tikokino.
The couple lived in a cottage in Tikokino for four years before relocating to Waipawa, where they raised their three children, Gavin, Philip and Elaine.
By this point Mr Crawley was working as County Overseer for both Waipawa and Patangata county councils. Following their merger into CHB District Council he took on the role as Works Superintendent.
The pair both enjoyed gardening, Mr Crawley providing the family with vegetables, at least some of which the children ate, and Mrs Crawley cultivating the flower beds.
Mr Crawley was also an excellent rugby player, leading to the lose of a few teeth and three broken noses.
They said it was hard to give advice to young couples in this ever changing world, but did have a few pearls of wisdom.
"You need patience, or you need tolerance really," Mrs Crawley said.
"If one's always right, the other is always wrong," Mr Crawley said.
"That's a danger."
They were not planning any major event for their anniversary, having already done lunch with their family on the weekend.
Seventy years into the marriage, the pair now live in an apartment at a retirement village in Havelock North, and are still living relatively independently.
At 92 Mr Crawley still enjoys getting out in the garden, even if on a smaller scale to what he used to achieve.
Mrs Crawley continues to enjoying cooking and craft work.
As well as their three children, they have six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, a testament to the 70 years they have spent together.
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