“And I thought he was a very handsome young man,” Lucy added.
Nehe was working for the New Zealand Railways and Lucy worked at the Croxleys stationery factory.
He had gone to Wellington from Tikitiki as an 18-year-old with no job, no accommodation and “just a few bob in his pocket” and got a job clipping tickets on the railway.
Lucy was also working in Wellington, where she had gone from her home in Tolaga Bay. She lived with her older sister.
“We went to Lucy’s home after the dance and I said goodnight to her at the front gate. I said I’ll see you tomorrow night — ‘good night’,”
“We met again the next night at the dance hall. Taking her home that night I said goodnight at the front door where I squeezed her hand and said ‘see you tomorrow’.
“Then a voice from inside the house said ‘come for tea tomorrow night’.
“The next night I got my feet under the dinner table and we had delicious corned beef for tea. Things developed between us from there.”
Love at first sightThe couple agreed that for both of them it had been “love at first sight.”
“We hit if off straight away,” Lucy said.
They were married in St Paul’s Cathedral, Wellington in September 1957.
They had six children — Stanley, the eldest who passed away in 2009, Nehe-junior, Lucyanne, Elwyna, George and Whare. They have many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
“We had each of our children two years apart so we grew up with our young ones around us,” Lucy said.
“Then we took in our grand-daughter Aja, who is now in her 30s.
“We love our children so much and we know they love us. They are all very thoughtful,” she said.
“The boys will be home for our celebration. They want everything to be bang-on for our special day.”
Nehe and Lucy moved back from Wellington to Tikitiki soon after their marriage and Nehe worked as a shepherd/general hand.
“I realised I was a country boy at heart.”
He went on to work on a Lands and Survey property in the Western Taupo district, where something happened that was “life-changing”.
“A workmate died one day in front of me and it made me re-evaluate what I was doing with my life.
“I decided that I wanted to go into the Presbyterian Church ministry.”
Nehe spent four years at the Maori Theological College in Whakatane with Lucy and their family by his side.
He was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa/New Zealand in 1970 and spent four years initially as a minister in Opotiki.
“One day in 1974 I went to check on a couple of Opotiki boys who had gone to Waikeria Prison. While I was there I decided that prison ministry was for me.”
He started at Waikeria that year, then went on to Mount Eden Prison. In l993 he became the first maori senior prison chaplain for New Zealand, based in Wellington.
“I left that role in 1997 and we went to Rotorua, where I was a parish minister and police chaplain.”
He retired in 2003 and they moved back to Tikitiki.
Lucy worked as an aide in geriatric and mental health care.
“Lucy was our backbone at home. She kept the home fires burning,” Nehe said.
The couple have lived busy and full lives, and both have had a keen interest in sport.
Lucy represented Gisborne-East Coast at netball and also played hockey.
Nehe, a late starter at the game, is prominent on the golfing scene.
A long and happy marriageThey know what makes a long marriage work.
“It is about being able to talk to each other, to understand each other and to help each other,” Lucy said.
“Also to share what you earn and, most important, to love each other.”
“The greatest secret to a happy marriage is to respect each other’s space and independence. You must have that,” her husband said.
“Express and share your love with your wife and your children.
“We still hold hands all the time.”
The couple will renew their marriage vows in the beautiful and historic St Mary’s Church in Tikitiki at 11am on Saturday, followed by a celebration at Rahui Marae.
