In 1965, the Austin Morris 1100 was the UK’s best selling car, the Beatles were conquering the USA and Bonanza was one of our most popular TV programmes.
They all may be long gone but John and Doreen Cameron, of Greystoke Gill, are proof that some things can endure, as they celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on Sunday.
Sixty years after they tied the knot, John, 83, and Doreen, 79, celebrated at the Brantwood Hotel, Stainton, and admitted they could not identify the secret of their long and happy marriage.
“We couldn’t say that there is any great secret. I do not have a clue if it is down to anything in particular, but I cannot believe that 60 years have passed. The years have just flown by,” laughed Doreen.
“We were both members of a young farmers’ club when we met and many of our friends joked that we would never last. But after 60 years we’ve definitely proved everyone wrong!”
The couple met by chance at a bonfire night party in Dalston when Doreen was 18 years old and John was 22. They married at Edenhall and enjoyed a lavish wedding reception at the Clifton Hill Hotel, near Penrith.
Eventually they settled in their farm at Greystoke Gill where John still farms and is a well-known parish councillor. Doreen is a popular member of the local WI and is heavily involved in the Dalemain marmalade festival, at which she is head judge.
The couple have two grown-up two children, David and Angela, and one granddaughter Chloe. Friends including their best man, William Little, joined family for the anniversary celebrations last weekend.
Doreen still has her beautiful white lace wedding dress which she bought at a Carlisle store. She cannot remember what it cost but recalled that the wedding breakfast was the equivalent of 65p per head.
She added: “I think we had about 50 guests. It would cost a lot more today, there’s no doubt about that. My dad, Robert Potts, had won some money on the football pools the week before, so that came in handy and paid for the wedding.”
