Happy Rosyth couple reflect on 50 years of marriage

Rick and Sheila Anne Irvine met in September 1973 and tied the knot just over a year later on November 23, 1974.

Mrs Irvine said: “I was based at HMS Neptune at Faslane with the WRNS and met Rick when he got a post there for five months with the Navy."

The pair were engaged before the end of Rick’s post and then married in just over a year.

She continued: “You didn’t have those great big weddings that cost an absolute fortune back then, but I think my mum and dad did have to spend a few bob.

“Rick was in his Navy uniform, and my parents had to do a lot of the arranging because the reception was up in Whitburn.

November 23 1973, wedding day. (Image: Submitted) “I think there were around 80 guests there, but a certain person was 20 minutes late. Rick and a lot of the family and friends had come up from Saltcoats, where he stayed, and the bus driver didn’t know where they were going. There wasn’t such thing as a sat nav in those days.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, and I can’t say we’ve never had a cross word, but our minister told us before the wedding to never go to sleep on an argument, and I don’t think we ever have.”

Discussing the attitude that allowed the couple to support each-other through five decades, she said: "I guess it’s a combination of patience, understanding, having fun, and really being there for each-other. We’ve always had a good relationship where we laugh at things.

“Rick was in the Falklands in 82 and that was difficult because I was coping with a wee boy who was coming up for three. I was also pregnant at the time, and Rick came home three weeks before our younger son was born.

“Then he was in the Gulf for a while when they were having problems with Iran and Iraq, so that was quite a hurdle, but we made it through together.”

They now have two sons named Paul and Andrew, who are both happily married, along with four grandsons.

Still going strong five decades later! (Image: Submitted)

Mrs Irvine continued: “My oldest grandson has just joined the Navy at 19, so we’re extremely proud of him and our whole family.

“We’ve no pets though, because we’ve got too many holidays to go on.

“We’re just back from Mallorca and we’re going on a cruise soon to celebrate our anniversary. Hopefully we’ll see the Northern lights, although we saw them out the back door about 3 weeks ago.”

Mr and Mrs Irvine are clearly two community-minded individuals, and they run a veteran’s breakfast club which meets twice a month.

Mrs Irvine said: “Once is at the HMS Caledonia, and the other time we alternate between the Bruce arms in Limekilns and the Glen Tavern.

“We’ve been doing that for around five years now and the most people we’ve had there is about 75. It’s really snowballed, which is brilliant because it brings a lot of people together.

“We just do it because we enjoy it, not for any praise or anything like that. There’s quite a few widows and widowers who come along, so it’s company for them, and we’ve made a lot of new friends doing it.”