Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
70 years together started with chips
A devoted couple who first bonded over a bag of chips have joined an exclusive club after celebrating 70 years of marriage.
Ernest Needham, 89, and his wife Edith, 90, known as Joyce, are among only a handful of couples to reach their platinum wedding anniversary.
The pair first met near a chip shop on the corner of Military Road, Canterbury, in the 1940s.
Ernie, who was in the Army and stationed at Canterbury Barracks, was enjoying his dinner when Joyce bounded up to him and asked for a chip.
A year later, they wed at Canterbury Register Office in the Dane John, and went on to have children Terry, now 68, Trevor, 66, Linda, 63, and Marilyn, 60.
They now have eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, with one more on the way. Mr Needham, originally from Lincolnshire, spent time travelling as part of his job in the Army, while Mrs Needham, a housewife, manned the fort at their home in Garfield Avenue near Sturry Road.
Despite suffering from Parkinson’s, he continues to live independently in the city, while his wife – who has Alzheimer’s – lives at Highfield Care Home in Bekesbourne Lane.
Daughter Linda Maloney said: “It feels amazing and unbelievable that they’ve got to 70 years. They’re still so devoted to each other after all this time. I think their secret is togetherness. They used to do everything together, including gardening. And they’d walk into town every day, holding hands.”
The couple were thrilled to receive a congratulatory card from the Queen, as well as a telegram from Mrs Needham’s sister, who lives in Canada.
The family are planning a big party at Highfield on Sunday with a Punch and Judy show, magician and karaoke to mark the milestone.