A NEWPORT couple who met in 1956 in the Far East have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.
John and Margaret Smith met when John was serving with the Royal Navy and Margaret's father was the bosun of the dockyard in Hong Kong.
The couple married at St Woolos Cathedral, Newport, on March 18, 1961.
John and Margaret Smith on their wedding day
John and Margaret Smith today
John, 85, a plumber and gas engineer by trade, was born in Birmingham and joined the Royal Navy aged 17 as a stoker. He was serving on HMS Tamar when he met his future wife in Kowloon.
Margaret, 79, who is originally from Newport, was in the Far East with her whole family when her father worked at the dockyard for four years.
John and Margaret Smith celebrating their anniversary
He left the navy in 1960 to work as a fireman on the railway. He also worked at Uskmouth power station, TV Willis and Magor brewery until retiring in 1999.
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Margaret started work at Farrow Brothers before leaving to raise her family. She then worked at the Hilton Hotel, Newport, until 1992.
The couple, who live in St Julians, have three children: Christopher (58), Susan (57) and Mark (55); seven grandchildren - Stacy, Ben, Lewis, Leigh, Ellie, Curtis and Elliott; and five great grandchildren - Cailean, Matthew, Piper, Alex and Spencer.
They say the key to a long and happy marriage is: "Consideration, respect and simply being there for each other. Fun and laughter with family and friends."
Their letter of congratulations from the Queen
Their letter of congratulations from the Queen
They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary quietly at home in Newport due to lockdown but are looking forward to celebrating with the whole family as soon as they can.
They had a Champagne breakfast, a card from the Queen and two of their children decorated the house with banners and balloons. They said: "We had flowers galore, a few doorstep visits and lots of video messages."
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