It’s diamond days for happy Borders couples
Jocky & Betty McDonald recently celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary. They were married at St. Boswells Parish Church on 7 February 1953.
TWO Borders couples have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversaries with royal seals of approval.
Jocky and Betty McDonald of St Boswells, and Horsbrugh Ford’s John and Maureen Laidlaw both received cards from The Queen to mark their diamond celebrations.
Having met at a New Year’s party, Jocky and Betty were married at St Boswells Parish Church on February 7, 1953, shortly before Jocky left for his RAF national service at the age of 21.
They have lived and worked throughout their married life in and around St Boswells, bringing up four children and becoming well known to villagers through their sporting and community activities.
Jocky, now aged 80, and 78-year-old Betty have 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, and celebrated their diamond anniversary with a two-night stay in an Edinburgh hotel.
As well as their children and partners attending, including a daughter who travelled from Australia with her husband, the couple had an extra surprise when their grandchildren also made the trip to the capital.
Maureen, 80, met 85-year-old John while he was catching rabbits for a living in Northumberland, and the couple wed on January 31, 1953, at Mindrum Presbyterian Church, no longer in existence.
After spending eight years at Yarrowford during the 1960s, where John worked on Buccleuch Estates, they moved to the Peebles area, finally settling at Horsbrugh Ford 22 years ago.
They celebrated with a lunch in the Tontine Hotel, also attended by family and friends from the Scottish country dance classes they attend in Peebles and Innerleithen each week.
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Weather for Galashiels
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
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