Celebrating 70 years of marriage

At 90 years old, Denise Faul still fondly recalls the moment she met her husband at an Invercargill church social in 1948.

She had been lining up for the dance when a friend pointed out Murray Faul on the other side of the room.

‘‘She said ‘‘there’s that boy over there with the auburn hair’’ and to cut a long story short he asked me for the first dance, and then the second dance, and it went from there.’’

The couple married four years later in 1952, and will be celebrating 70 years of marriage – a platinum anniversary – tomorrow.

There hadn’t really been a proposal at the time, Murray said, rather the couple came to a ‘‘mutual decision’’ to marry.

‘‘At the time I was working in Tuatapere, and we stayed there when we worked out back then, and I had to come home on Friday because the engagement was going to be in the paper on Saturday,’’ he said.

The wedding took place on July 31, 1952, at the same First Church of Invercargill that the couple met at.

‘‘It was a beautiful day, and the wedding was at 11am in the morning. There was just a light frost then, and the light was shining bright . . . It was a beautiful morning,’’ Denise said.

They had their first daughter the next year, with four following within the next 10 years.

‘‘In those days the husband didn’t stay with you, they dropped you off at the door at the hospital . . . you’re allowed to ring your husband after you have a baby so five times I had to ring up and say ‘you’ve got a daughter’,’’ Denise said.

They have since gone on to have eight grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren, and said their secret to staying together for 70 years was having a wide variety of shared and separate interests.

The couple were on several committees together at their children’s schools, at pony clubs and at highland dancing clubs.

Murray was heavily involved in harness racing and is still the Invercargill Harness Racing Club treasurer at 93 years old, whilst Denise got involved in the local golf club after their children finished school.

They both agreed their fondest memory was raising their five children and moving into their first home, which Murray built himself.

‘‘We did a lot of things, and did a lot of things together . . . he’s had his racing, and I’ve had my golf . . . we didn’t have time to argue.’’

ROBYN EDIE/STUFF Denise, 90, and Murray Faul, 93, of Invercargill, say their secret to 70 years of marriage is keeping busy and sharing similar interests.