Ruby blushes as Terry and Lesley celebrate
Couple mark 40 years wed
Perth lovies Lesley Mackie and Terry Wale celebrated their ruby wedding anniversary in the city where they met and later made their home.
It was during a rehearsal in Perth Theatre for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in 1974 that young actress Lesley first set eyes on her future husband, an established playwright.
“I first saw Terry standing on the Perth Theatre stage. He had long grey hair, was wearing a pink shirt,” said Leslie at a party last Friday at the Royal George Hotel.
When planning their anniversary they had the idea of booking Perth Theatre, but it wasn’t quite finished in time, so they invited friends to the nearby hotel.
Lesley revealed their celebration gathering was suitably entertaining: “It was a great night, we had an excellent buffet, and entertainment from our son Ollie with his partner Jamie of The Shrugs and our daughter Katy with her friend Lori.
“The girls gave us a Sixties medley ‘Dream Dream Dream’ and ‘Will You Still Love me Tomorrow’ - accompanied by the inimitable pianist Michael Ellacott.
“Then the boys were a bit more cutting edge, with Green Day’s ‘Time of Your Life’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition.’
“We both made speeches, with Terry focusing on being a geriatric and dedicating a poem he had written to me, called ‘The Secret of Eternal Youth’. ”
She joked how the party tables were not numbered, but named after Greek islands they’d visited in the early days.
“I have no regrets about marrying an older man. But these days Terry has little desire to fly anywhere, he’s really is happiest at home – or at Morrisons. He does most of the shopping, and he gets much pleasure from it, meeting and chatting to everyone. He’s also not too keen on walking too far. I’m the woman who can be spotted up Kinnoull Hill, Quarrymill, Norie Miller – walking alone.
“I said to him once: ‘When someone loses their partner, they can find solace by walking where their feet have trod together, and remembering.’ Should he go first, I’ll have no option but to head to Morrisons.”
Lesley - once winner of an Olivier Award for her part in the musical biopic of Julie Andrews - sang a song at the end of the bash, from On The Town, called ‘We’ll Catch Up Some Other Time.’ Actress Lesley Mackie and playwright Terry Wale at the Royal George Hotel. Inset, the couple on their wedding day