After all these years
She got swept off her feet at his 21st birthday party and today they have been married for 65 years.
Stella, 88, from Darfield and Ray Wood, 88, from Dunedin, met in 1948 when Stella was down in Dunedin to play in a hockey tournament.
If it wasn’t for perfect timing they would have never met.
Ray was working as a primary school teacher in the North Island but it was the school holidays so he was home in Dunedin celebrating his 21st birthday with a big dancing party.
Stella was invited to come along by a friend of Ray’s but it was Ray himself who caught her eye with his dance moves.
They got married in 1951 at the St Peter’s presbyterian church in Christchurch on a very hot day.
‘‘Our mothers had fur stoles and couldn’t wear them. It was too hot,’’ Stella said.
They spend the first five years of their marriage in their first home in Central Otago. They both said it was the best time of their lives.
Stella and Ray have been living in Nelson for the past 29 years – six years in Atawhai and the last 23 years on Collingwood St.
Their family has grown from just the two of them to having three children – John, 60,
Judith, 58, Andrew 52. With them came six grand children and two great grand children.
Today they celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary with a high tea for two at Melrose House, gifted to them by their daughter Judith.
They will have a family celebration at their home on Saturday.
‘‘We’ve had a very happy togetherness, we’ve been lucky,’’ Stella said. ‘‘We’ve had good health expect these last two years. We’re able to get around.’’
The pair have a caravan in Kaiteriteri that they still go up to during summer and meet up with a group of friends.
‘‘To be married for 65 years you’ve got to be very fortunate, to live long enough,’’ Ray said.
Stella said the secret behind their long prosperous marriage is that they share the same interests – sports being the main one.
She said they used to play golf and tennis together and only had to stop playing four years ago because her leg couldn’t cope anymore.
They are now proud viewers of Sky sport and have developed quite the interest for watching snooker.
Ray said he was a bit weary about giving others advice on marriage but he would say that communication is very important.
‘‘Not really, I can’t remember,’’ Stella said. ‘‘If there was an argument none of us would continue it. You’d just forget about it.’’
‘‘I think a lot of couples who have trouble, they don’t share their ideas if perhaps they have an argument ... so they go wider apart instead of coming together and trying to solve it. And that doesn’t help,’’ Ray said.
When asked what Ray liked the most about Stella, he said: ‘‘I wouldn’t want to single out any one particular thing.’’
‘‘You are just as I want you to be.’’