Cowplain couple toast 60 years of marriage and get unexpected message - from King and Queen
The couple celebrated their Diamond 60th Wedding Anniversary in Cape Town
A Cowplain couple toasting 60 years of marriage received an unexpected message of congratulations - from the King and Queen.
Joe McCue, 84, and his wife Margaret, 79, celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on February 2 in Cape Town, South Africa - where they previously lived - at the Royal Cape Yacht Club with friends.
To add to their joy, the couple also received a card from the King and Queen to acknowledge their special milestone. “We’re very honoured, it was a nice touch to get it,” Joe said. “In today's world people don’t believe 60 years of marriage is possible.”
The Scottish couple married in Edinburgh in 1966 with the proud Unionist wearing a special edition 1966 World Cup winners shirt featuring Bobby Moore with the date 66 on it, the year they married, much to the amusement of the guests
Joe and Margaret met in Edinburgh when he was working as a manager of a car garage and his future wife worked at a nearby hairdressers. “I would always see her and thought, ‘she’s a bit of alright’. It took me a while to pluck up the courage to speak to her,” he said.
“One day she was walking along and I drove up to her and asked if she wanted a lift, but she said she was going for lunch…but she allowed me to join her when I asked.”
The couple moved to Cape Town after their wedding and returned to the UK in 1978 when Joe was offered a role of regional manager for Toyota covering the south of England.
They opted to move to as far south in England as possible for “better weather” and were advised by friend and former Portsmouth FC assistant manager Willie Hunter to move to the area - and have been in the same house in Cowplain ever since
Joe and Margaret, who had two sons Neil and Gavin while still in South Africa but who went to school in Horndean after their return, have enjoyed their marriage over the six decades - with Joe revealing the secret of their success: “Doing as I’m told.”
He continued: “It’s about give and take. The trouble is now with people if it’s not working they just get divorced. Everyone has their ups and downs but by working together we have been very happy.
“My wife is the backbone of our family. She is the most wonderful wife. She’s a wonderful mum, grandparent and now great grandmother. She’s just a very nice person. Everyone loves her to bits.
“She did a fabulous job bringing up our sons as I was away from home a lot with work.
“I hit the jackpot when I got her. She’s been a star all of my life.”