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Betty and George at their wedding at St John's Church Canton
on Saturday September 9th 1950 |
Afterwards, Betty and George cut the cake together |
 'South Wales Echo' Friday September 17th 2010 p.33 |
The Queen wrote, "I am so pleased to know that you are celebrating your Diamond Wedding anniversary on 9th September, 2010. I send my congratulations and best wishes to you on such a special occassion". |
| A
newspaper article (above) and greetings from The Queen (right)
aided celebrations of the Diamond Wedding Anniversary of Betty and
George Collings. In the Echo's photograph (below) Betty is seen holding the folder containing the Queen's message, [The text and picture from the Echo article are repoduced by kind permission of Media Wales.]  |
SPRIGHTLY couple Elizabeth and George Collings have celebrated their
60th wedding anniversary - and say their healthy marriage is all about
"not hanging about". Despite both being in their 80s, the couple
regularly hit the gym at Llanishen Leisure Centre, near their home,
where they love to swim and put on their dancing shoes. The diamond
pair actually met at a City Hall dance as youngsters, and continued
seeing one another through their heavy involvement in the Guiding and
Scouting fellowships at the time. They were married on September 9, 1950, at St John's Church, Canton, a day which they both remember fondly. Elizabeth, known by friends as Betty, said: "It rained in the morning but the sun came out just as we were taking the photographs." As they embarked on married life, George worked as an engineer at the Llanwern steelworks, east of Newport. He later worked for supermarket Tesco as an engineer supervising heating, lighting and refrigeration. Meanwhile, Elizabeth worked for the shipping and seamen registry and then the Inland Revenue. In between, they had son Nigel, 57 - who is married to Sally - and Beverly, who sadly passed away aged 16. They have three grandchildren - Rhian, 20, Ross, 17, and Owen, 14 - who live in Dorset and keep them on their toes. But it is not just the grandkids that keep them fit, with Elizabeth, 80, and George, 82, making sure they live life to the full with a list of hobbies that is enough to make anyone feel tired. Elizabeth said: "I did walks, swimming and gym at Llanishen Leisure Centre and also I enjoy classical concerts and I am a member of Melbourne Road Methodist Church, Llanishen. "In the past, we enjoyed rambling and touring in a caravan. We still like to swim and dance on our cruising holidays." And it was only poor eyesight that meant George had to give up his beloved golf. But he hasn't let that stop him, and still drives, gardens and cooks up a storm in the kitchen. George said: "We're not hanging about." Elizabeth said: "The secret of our marriage has been patience." "And perseverance," said George. The family will be getting together at Llanishen Golf Club this weekend. |
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