She thought he was dishy, he was completely smitten.
That’s how it was for teenagers John Mackenzie and Marie Munro when they met in Inverness, both aged 16 in 1953.
Now they’re looking back on a happy marriage of 66 years, with a few hints to pass on to newly-weds to make their marriage last as long.
“We’ve had our tiffs and ups and downs as people do, but nothing to worry about,” says Marie. “You made up and carried on.”
How John and Marie Mackenzie met
“Just make sure you never wake up with an argument,” John adds. “We’ve had our disagreements, quite a lot, but you just have to get on with it.”
John and Marie (nee Marion) both left school at 15 to start bringing in money for their families.
John, originally from Balloch Farm in Culloden had attended Balloch primary, and Inverness Technical College.
‘Marie was the smart one’ says John
Marie grew up in Telford Road and went to Merkinch primary and Inverness Royal Academy.
“She was the smart one,” quips John.
John took on a variety of sales jobs, which he didn’t particularly enjoy, but it was when he was working in Burtons Tailoring that his life started to look up.
Unbeknown to him, down the road at Camerons department store, a certain Miss Marie Munro had started training as a window dresser.
One day John was asked by a friend to take Marie a message, that he couldn’t come and meet her.
John duly obliged, found Marie and “the rest is history,” he says. He passed on the message and offered to take her home.
“She was lovely,” he said. “She spoke well, was very intelligent and just the right size. I didn’t think she’d stick with me.”
Marie thought John Mackenzie quite a catch
Marie already had a boyfriend, but he had just joined the army and would soon become a distant memory.
“When I first saw John I thought he was quite dishy with his big brown eyes, and very fit. I thought he was quite a catch.”
The pair used to go to the dancing at the Caley Hotel as often as possible in those carefree days.
John was a keen sportsman and out training a lot.
He was a champion runner, hockey player and qualified RAF referee. He also refereed for a while for the junior and Highland Leagues.
John said: “One of my highlights was running in a relay race for Air Training Cadets Scotland against the other four nations at the Scotland v England international at Hampden Park in front of a huge crowd. We won it.”
John was a member of the Inverness Harriers; British Air Training Corps cross-country champion at Duxford, running for ATC Scotland; and North of Scotland cross-country champion at Inverness in 1953/54.
He was awarded the Brown trophy in 1954 for Sportsman of the Year in Inverness.
John and Marie married in 1958, and went to have three children, Myra, Jane and John.
Meanwhile both had moved on from their early jobs.
John put up with his sales positions, knowing he was going to join the RAF when he was 18 under National Service call-up.
Marie left Camerons and trained as a nurse at Raigmore, and later spent many years as a district nurse in Forres and the north-east.
In 1955, John joined the RAF initially for two years as an instrument fitter, and found his forte.
He enjoyed the RAF so much that he stayed on for twenty years, and looks back with affection on his time in the service.
Travelling with the RAF
RAF life had its challenges, but it suited the young couple.
John rose to the rank of corporal, and was posted to Nairobi when Myra was a baby.
He remembers: “Marie came out eight weeks later from London on the plane with Myra who was eight months. That was quite challenging.
“A few years later I was posted in Singapore and she came out from Inverness this time with three children.
“The flight took 48 hours!”
At the time, Malaya was in conflict with Indonesia, and RAF Tengha, where John was serving, decamped to tents on the edge of the jungle waiting for the Indonesians to invade.
Peace-keeping medal
The Malayan government later awarded all the airmen with the Pingat Jasa Malasia medal as recognition for their peace-keeping service during the period of emergency and confrontation.
John said: “We weren’t allowed to wear it though, because it hadn’t been awarded by the Queen.
“Then she gave permission and I wear it with pride now.”
In 1972 came the BEM for meritorious service. John thinks it was really awarded to Marie as well.
He said: “My group captain indicated she was very much involved. She was a district nurse and doing so much for the community and the church.”
John was also awarded a General Service Medal for active service in Kenya, Malaysia and the Middle East; and a Long Service and Good Conduct medal from the RAF.
Not to mention his long service medal for his work as a community councillor.
Marie has had a very active life supporting John and bringing up the family.
She still managed to pursue her own interests, and make her own mark in north-east communities.
She was an officer in the Forres Girl Brigade and chairwoman of the wives’ club at RAF Tengah and RAF Kinloss.
Blessed with a lovely voice, she was also a member of the Culbin singer’s choir at Forres.
The couple are both deeply involved with the church
Both John and Marie are church elders, and have been heavily involved with the church wherever they have found themselves throughout their marriage, and to this day.
Marie has received an award from the Church of Scotland for long service as an elder.
She served in St Lawrence, Forres; St Andrews, Boness and currently Fyvie, where she was also chairwoman of the Church of Scotland Guild.
Life after the RAF
After his RAF service, John became an electrical supervisor with the Macdermott Yard in Ardersier for twenty years.
The family lived in Forres, building their own house on a plot of land.
John also decided this was the time to do something close to his heart, and in between 12 hour shifts at Ardersier, he took an Open University BA course in Technology, graduating with Honours.
After the oil slump, John took on various contracts in different parts of the country as clerk of works or resident engineer.
When he reached the age of 60, disaster.
John was working on Hopeman Primary school, and fell through the roof, breaking his back and putting an end to his working life.
He’s also had to navigate a heart by-pass, and supports Marie with her health conditions.
Marie said: “He’s been a wonderful husband and good father. He’s done very well, I’m very proud of him.”
John is equally proud of Marie.
He said: “Couples have got to get on together, which we do. Marie is very dependable and works hard for the whole community.
“The only time she worried me was in the early days when she said she wanted to be a missionary. That meant she would be away!
“It never happened, but I think she’s been a missionary at home anyway.
“She’s fantastic, I wouldn’t swap her for the world.”
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