Couple celebrate 70 years of love

If his mate hadn’t convinced him to go to a dance one night in Brighton, Ron Beard might never have met the woman who has been his wife for 70 years.

From the moment he laid eyes on a young Olive Maskel, Mr Beard was smitten, and wasted little time putting a ring on her finger.

The Timaru couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with family earlier this month, sharing stories of a lifetime of love that saw them meet in England, have a family, and then move to the other side of the world to settle in New Zealand together.

A painter and paperhanger by trade, Mr Beard had just returned home after completing three years’ national service with the Royal Air Force — two of them in Egypt.

"I’d come home to Brighton and a mate of mine said to me, ‘tonight we are going to a dance’, and I said, ‘I don’t like dancing’.

"He said, ‘you’ll be all right’."

The men noticed two sisters dancing together, and the younger in particular caught Mr Beard’s eye. The interest was mutual, Miss Maskel telling her sister, "he’s mine!"

Mr Beard was 21, and Miss Maskel was just 17 and a-half years old.

"She was lovely, and I started chatting to her.

"She was working in a big clothing store in Brighton."

Mr Beard did not waste time visiting the store the following day to see her, and eventually invite her out.

"I think we went to the cinema.

"I liked the cartoons, so I took her to see Cinderella.

"That was a big joke all throughout our marriage, that I took her to see a cartoon."

The young couple met each other’s families, and everyone got on well.

When Mr Beard proposed, Miss Maskel was happy to say yes, and they married on March 12, 1955, aged 22 and 18.

"I absolutely adored her from the first time I saw her."

The newlyweds took a room in Mr Beard’s parents’ rented home, then took over the tenancy when his parents moved out.

The couple had four children; a daughter and three sons.

Mr Beard continued work as a painter and paperhanger, and Mrs Beard was kept busy bringing up the children.

Greener pastures called, and in 1967, they became "Ten Pound Poms", emigrating to Wollongong, Australia.

It did not suit and the family returned to England two years later.

Mrs Beard’s sister, however, had been out to New Zealand, and told the couple all about it.

In 1975 they relocated again, this time to Gore, before moving a year or so later to Timaru, where they have remained since.

Mr Beard worked for RB Jenkins until he retired at 62.

Like any couple, he says they had their ups and downs, but one thing has remained constant.

"We’ve had a perfect marriage, we just loved each other."