Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Bruce and Beverley Burgess: 60 years together

By by Betty Jeeves
Bay of Plenty Times·
12 Aug, 2011 09:28 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

After meeting at a dance in Stratford, Bruce Burgess and Beverley Gibb found their life partners, became engaged six months later and married a year after that on August 11, 1951.
The couple had four sons, Geoff, Steve, Paul and Neil.
Today, their family are taking them to Volare Restaurant to celebrate
their milestone anniversary.
When they met, Mrs Burgess worked as a clerk for McCutcheon and Co fruit and produce merchants, while Mr Burgess was a welder working on Waikato dams.
"I was very keen on riding horses and helped at Riding for the Disabled in Rotorua. I really enjoyed that and working with the children," Mrs Burgess said.
The couple were keen motorcyclists, Mr Burgess rode from 1950.
"It was a consuming hobby for years. We did trail bike rides in the forests with the Rotorua Motorcycle Club. It was a great time," Mr Burgess said.
While in the motorcycle club, Mr Burgess, who had 175cc, 250cc and 500cc bikes, was also motocross inclined, setting out courses as well as helping at meetings.
"We had a big track there and about 50 people at each meeting. We were heavily involved," Mr Burgess said.
The club made him a life member.
"Bev rode on the back of my trail bike to Christchurch from Stratford at one stage," Mr Burgess said.
Mrs Burgess adds with a laugh, "I rode my own bike the next year. We've had lots of fun working together. We're a team."
The couple moved to Tauranga 16 years ago and belong to the Greerton Senior Citizens Club where they enjoy playing indoor bowls twice a week.
Mr Burgess won the singles championships this year despite the fact he has macular degeneration, which affects his sight.
"It's sort of instinctive, it's good fun. We enjoy doing things together and have always done so," he said.
They also walk, are as fit as fiddles and their looks belie their ages. Mrs Burgess is 79 and Mr Burgess 84.
"We've had the usual ups and downs, everybody does, but generally marriage has been very good. We'd do it again. It seems incredible when you look back at that number of years," Mr Burgess smiles.
"We've always been good friends. We've been lucky in our families and we all get on with our daughters-in-law. And we always kiss goodnight, we don't go to bed on a tiff," Mrs Burgess said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

09 Jul 12:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Earthquakes every six to seven minutes detected under Mt Ruapehu

08 Jul 10:48 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

No fuel spill detected as boat sinks in harbour

08 Jul 10:36 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

09 Jul 12:00 AM

Twelve months after going missing in Hamurana, Franco the cat turned up.

Earthquakes every six to seven minutes detected under Mt Ruapehu

Earthquakes every six to seven minutes detected under Mt Ruapehu

08 Jul 10:48 PM
No fuel spill detected as boat sinks in harbour

No fuel spill detected as boat sinks in harbour

08 Jul 10:36 PM
The secret sauce of the bar named NZ's best

The secret sauce of the bar named NZ's best

08 Jul 10:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP