Diamond wedding anniversary for well travelled Kinghorn residents

Mary and Bill Ward were married on January 19, 1963 at Pathhead Church in Kirkcaldy having met each two years earlier in 1961.

On meeting Mary for the first time, Bill commented: “What a journey it has been. We met at Kirkcaldy Ice Rink in March 1961. I asked this lovely young lady if she would like to go around with me. Lucky for me she did and we have been going around holding hands ever since”

Just two days after their wedding, they embarked on a life of adventure.

They boarded the Castle Felecia at Southampton and set sail on a five week journey bound for Australia, where they were emigrating to and where they would start their working lives.

Down Under was the first of many stops over the years with stays in Melbourne, Toowoomba, Kirkcaldy, Stratford Upon Avon, Phalaborwa, Cape town and finally Kinghorn, where Bill was born.

Bill said: “In between, we have had an Australian daughter, a Scottish son, four South African grandchildren, a South African daughter in law and a South African son in law. We have emigrated four times, crossed the equator over 40 times together and had 34 permanent homes”.

The couple have spent the last 21 years in Kinghorn where they are now retired and where Bill said “We can still be seen walking around hand in hand. What a journey.”