A farming couple from Moray will mark their diamond wedding anniversary today.
Sandy and Sheila Donald, from Keith, first met at a meeting of the local Young Farmers Club in the early 1950s, and were married on April 16, 1955, at the town’s St Rufus Church.
The couple went on to spend much of their married life tending to Stripeside Farm, by Keith, and they credit that spirit of teamwork with helping them to sustain six decades of marital bliss.
Mrs Donald said it had been wonderful six decades.
“When we got married I was 20 and Sandy was 26,” she said.
“We had our wedding dance at the Commercial Hotel on Mid Street, which was popular for that sort of thing in those days.
“We worked at Stripeside Farm, which is just two miles outside Keith, until Sandy retired and we sold it to settle down in the town.
“It was a lot of hard work on the farm, looking after all the cattle and sheep and so on.”
Mr Donald added: “I think it was because we were so hard-working that we have managed to have such a strong marriage.
“Working together made us more of a team.
“We’ve also been very lucky with our health, and we’ve enjoyed doing things like hillwalking together to keep us fit.
“I think being so fortunate health-wise and also having a good family has gone a long way towards our 60 years of happiness.”
When the couple first married they shared a cottage at the farm – part of Mr Donald’s pay for working on the land.
He said: “We spent the beginning of our married life in that cottage as my total wage was £11 a week and a place at Stripeside to stay.”
During their married life, the couple had three children. Their eldest Sandra was born in 1957, followed by Sally in 1960 and the youngest, Struan, in 1962.
The diamond couple now have eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Mr and Mrs Donald left Stripeside in 2000 when Mr Donald was 70, and the couple have since been making the most of retired life.
Both are keen bowlers and are looking forward to taking to the green at Keith Bowling Club when it opens for the season this weekend.
Mrs Donald, 80, now puts her agricultural know-how to good use by maintaining both her own and her daughters’ gardens.
She said: “I spend most of my time in the garden, and last week I had a wonderful time with all the sun we had.”
Now 86, Mr Donald says he keeps sharp by beginning each day with the Press and Journal’s cryptic crossword.
On Sunday the happy couple will mark their marital milestone with a family lunch in Keith.