The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Sparkling celebrations for platinum anniversary
A Highland couple have celebrated a wonderful milestone – their 70th wedding anniversary.
That means it’s a platinum occasion for Dr Cyril Cooling, FRCS, MB, BS and Mrs Phyllis Cooling, who live at Cradlehall Care Home in Inverness.
The couple were joined by family, friends, residents and staff to mark their special day with a tea party, where everyone enjoyed looking through their wedding album.
And the duo were thrilled to listen to a selection of their favourite songs sung by Inverness and District Scottish Women’s Institute choir.
Mrs Cooling is a former member of the choir which is conducted by her daughter-inlaw Liz Cooling.
And a platinum wedding anniversary card from the Queen took centre stage, amid the festivities.
Dr Cooling, 93, and Mrs Cooling, 91, met as teenagers in their home village of Chislehurst in Kent. They were married on July 21, 1946.
At that time, Cyril was a medical student and Phyllis was a nurse. The couple have three sons and a daughter, eight grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren.
They enjoy music and ballroom dancing, with both declaring that the time spent together on that special pastime made their married life very happy.
The couple came to live with their son Dr Richard Cooling and family at Moy on their return to Scotland before they moved in together at Cradlehall Care Home, where they still enjoy music and dancing.
Mrs Cooling talked about the pair’s love of Latin American dancing, and how one of their first joint achievements was organising a dance to raise money for Spitfires during the war years.
Her husband mentioned he thought they raised enough for a few nuts and bolts and had fun with their friends.
After their marriage, the couple moved to Scotland where Mr Cooling completed his national service as a medical officer, prior to returning to London where he held the post of medical director at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Mrs Cooling was busy bringing up the family and became involved in fundraising for local charities.
For relaxation, the couple resumed their dancing and attended Latin American dance classes every Monday.
In revealing the secret of a long and happy marriage, Mrs Cooling said: “Cyril always consulted me and we made good decisions together on the important things in life.”
Elsbeth Russel, Cradlehall Care Home manager, said: “Family, friends, staff and residents enjoyed a wonderful party to celebrate Cyril and Phyllis’s very special day, it was a lovely opportunity to reminisce and view the happy couple’s wedding album.”
The historic origins of wedding anniversaries date back to the Holy Roman Empire, when husbands crowned their wives with a silver wreath on their 25th anniversary, and a gold wreath on the 50th. Later, principally in the 20th century, commercialism led to the addition of more anniversaries being represented by a named gift.
In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch to mark 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries onwards.