Celebrations for diamond couple
It was a case of two’s company as a Shotts couple marked their diamond wedding anniversary.
Jenny and Bobby Darragh only had eyes for each other as they celebrated 60 years of married life, at home in Thomson Terrace, Shotts.
Their loving family were unable to join them due to the enforced coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
Bobby and Jenny, who are both 81 years old, have two sons; Stuart, 57, and Gordon, 54.
Bobby, originally from Wishaw, and Jenny from Eastfield near Harthill, met at the dancing at the welfare club in Shotts in the late 1950s, according to their eldest son Stuart. They married a few years later on March 26 1960 at St Andrew’s Parish Church in Eastfield.
“Their first home was in Wishaw, one room up near where the Heathery Bar was,” Stuart revealed. “I think my dad’s first job was as a driver for a sweetie works there and that’s how they got the room, but it wasn’t ideal. Another driver let my dad know about a place in an old building up in Shottskirk Road and they moved to a bedsit there, before they got a house in the old prefabs in Shottskirk Road.”
In 1969 with two young children the couple moved again to the newly built housing scheme at Garry Way.
They flitted again in the mid-80s to Currieside Avenue where they stayed until 2001, before moving to their current home.
Bobby worked as a CNC machine operator at Cummins engine factory from 1976 until it closed.
Jenny started work on the machines at Levis around the same time, she was promoted and remained a manager there until she retired.
They have five grandchildren; Gordon and his wife Diane’s two children; Bobby, 35, and Kenny, 33, and Gordon’s children; Gordon junior, 34 – who is known as Watty – Kaylee, 32, and teenager Aaron who is 17. They also have four great-grandchildren; Teegan, 13, Kenneth, 10, Abbie, 7, and Taylor, 6.
Stuart thinks his parents having their own interests has been key to a long and happy marriage.
“Otherwise the two of them could never live in the house with each other,” he joked.
“My dad has two greenhouses out the back and he likes to spend time out there,” he continued. “My dad likes to mess about with his car as well.
“My mam likes the old telly programmes and just loves the bingo and still goes down to Allanton Welfare to play.
“They have two wee dogs and take turns of walking them.”
Despite his age Bobby remains a keen golfer and plays with the One O’Clock Gang in Shotts three days a week.
He also enjoys a swim at the sports centre.
Stuart added: “There’s a load of the older ones meet a few days a week to go swimming at nine o’clock in the morning.
“I think it’s killing them that they can’t get out now.”
While the family are disappointed at missing out on the couple’s diamond wedding day, they insist the celebration will go ahead.
Stuart said: “Family is so important to them but we are all keeping away from them.
“We had to celebrate their Diamond Wedding anniversary down the phone but we can celebrate in a couple of months when this is all sorted.”
Granddaughter Kaylee, added: “The whole family were meant to be going for dinner at Shotts Golf Club, but that will need to wait now.
“We’ll all get together and go up once this is over with.”