Bay couple make platinum milestone

Morris and Joy Hope, of Taradale, have been married for 70 years. Photo/Warren Buckland

A Hawke's Bay couple has shown true love can last but not without a bit of hard work.

Morris, 94, and Joy Hope, 89, of Taradale, officially celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Wednesday but have a special party planned this afternoon.

Mrs Hope said the secret to their success is taking each day as it comes and Mr Hope said there was an element of hard work involved.

"Both of us worked pretty hard in the early days," he said.

The couple met at Haumoana Tennis Club a year before Mr Hope (then 21) went to fight in World War Two.

"While I was waiting to go overseas I was walking along the beach and I spotted Joy playing tennis.

"I thought she looked very nice so I had to go and buy a tennis racket.

"When we got off the tennis court we went and sat on the beach, we were only there for 15 minutes when she said she had to go."

Mrs Hope (then 16) said this was out of shyness and when she got home she asked her mother if it would be alright to write to a "young lad" in the army, which she readily approved.

"We were very lucky when he went to war that he came back."

Throughout his time at war Mr Hope would be constantly waiting for letters from his "sweetheart" and would always carry a photo of her in his pocket.

The couple got engaged shortly after Mr Hope came back and were married on November 29, 1947, at St Matthew's Anglican Church in Hastings, a week after Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were married.

Mrs Hope made all the dresses as she was a dressmaker at the time.

It was a big affair as they both had large families, Mr Hope (born in Twyford) was one of six and Mrs Hope (born in Haumoana) one of nine.

They then went to Twyford to run an orchard for three years before moving to Poukawa, again to run an orchard.

After that they moved to Haumoana where they started cropping and sheep farming.

They have six daughters, 17 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Music has been a big part of their lives with Mr Hope singing and Mrs Hope playing piano and organ.

They would frequently have friends over for singalongs.

The couple's billiard table has travelled with them on six moves, each needing extensions made to the property to fit it, and two of the moves resulting in houses being built around it, including their current Taradale home which they have been in for 27 years.

Daughter Merrilyn Hope, who has come up from Dunedin, said family and friends would be coming for all over the country as well as a few from Australia for the party at her parents' house this afternoon.

"It's just amazing, they are Trojans really. They have so much energy.

"They've both worked really hard in their lives."