Mr and Mrs Rawson, who cele-brate their diamond wedding anniversary today, first met in 1946 when Mr Rawson went to Dunedin for the weekend and met a young Shirley McGregor.
The couple started dating, with trips between Oamaru and Dunedin for 18 months before they got engaged.
They were married in Dunedin on March 31, 1949.
The couple, who have five sons and a daughter, later bought a dairy in Mornington, which they said was "a great way of life", and then another in South Rd, before buying the Modernway Bookshop in George St.
They retired to Nelson for 10 years, but they missed their friends and family in Dunedin, so moved to Oamaru about 14 years ago.
Mr and Mrs Rawson, aged 81 and 79 respectively, have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
