A Lazonby couple who have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary say that having a sense of humour is an important ingredient in the recipe for a long and happy marriage.
Manchester-born Mike and Janet Oliver both grew up in the city and met at a church service in 1956.
They got married at Levenshulme, Manchester, on one of the coldest days at the end of December, 1962. The freezing temperatures that day meant the majority of football league games were cancelled and were not replayed until the following March or April.
After moving to Merseyside, where Mike worked for various local authorities, they moved back to Manchester for a short while and Mike worked at the city council. They then made the radical step of moving the “wild west of Scotland” where Mike was made director of planning at Argyll and Bute Council
Meanwhile, Janet who was a PE teacher, played lacrosse for England for two years in the early 60s. She was teacher in Birkenhead, Chester and Manchester and Lochgilphead, when they lived in Scotland.
They were in Argyll for over 20 years before they retired and moved to Lazonby in 1993.
Mike joined Penrith Town Band as a drummer and also played with the Eden Swing Band. He also became a locomotive coal man, stoking train engine fires, with the South Tynedale Railway, while Janet joined the local WI.
They have a son, Graham, who lives at Auckland, New Zealand, and twin daughters, Susan and Elizabeth who live in Glasgow and near Dundee, respectively. The couple have four grandchildren.
Their recipe for a successful marriage is the ability to talk about problems, which are inevitably encountered over such a long journey together, and also, importantly, having a sense of humour.
