On The Up: Northand’s Janice and Robert Clarke mark 70th anniversary

Janice, 87, and Robert, 93, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on July 23. The Clarkes married in 1955 and during that time had three children together and travelled to about 90 countries.

If you want the secret to a happy marriage, look no further than Northland couple Janice and Robert Clarke.

The pair – aged 87 and 93 – celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Wednesday.

With seven decades under their belt, they know a thing or two about making it work.

Their secret? Having things in common.

The pair are happily settled in Paihia with three grown children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Their love story began in the early ’50s when Janice – who goes by her middle name Gay – was fond of a dance or two.

When as a 16-year-old she attended a square dancing event in Dargaville, she had no idea she would meet her future husband that night.

Robert was a farmer working on his father’s property when he and Gay tied the knot about a month before she turned 18.

After they married, the pair moved about 10 minutes down the road to Te Kōpuru, where they worked sharemilking for a few years.

The couple eventually said goodbye to Kaipara and headed to the Far North, where they leased a motor camp at Haruru Falls, Waitangi.

“It was a big deal in those days because a lot of people camped,” Gay said.

They purchased a section in Paihia and built Aloha Motel.

Robert was the first deputy chief for the Paihia Fire Brigade, established in 1965.

After 10 years of working in motels and camps and three children later, the pair decided to sell up and move to Africa.

The younger children, Jenny and Murray, went to school in the Cape province, while eldest daughter Carolyn worked for the railway.

Gay and Robert Clarke married in 1955 – 70 years later they're still going strong.

Gay worked in healthcare tending to African women while Robert – as a member of Paihia Lions Club – acted as a Lion at large, helping build accommodation for those in need.

The family decided on another big move: they took a ship to England and spent 18 months travelling around Europe.

Their children returned home to New Zealand while the couple waited for a ship to that could take their campervan.

One of their more memorable moments was when the ship from England carrying their campervan hit a reef off the coast of Dakar – the capital of Senegal in West Africa.

They were sent back to Tenerife – the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands – until they were able to board another vessel, which took them through the ports of Africa.

They waited six months for their campervan to be transported from Dakar to Cape Town, where they were staying.

They made lifelong friends during that time, the couple said.

When they finally returned to Paihia, they settled in a house there, which they have called home for the past 50 years.

Gay worked for Kelly Tarlton from 1976 when the historic vessel, The Tui, was a museum. She said it was on the condition she was able to travel during the winter.

After Gay retired, she would go to Indonesia every few months to import silver jewellery.

The pair remained keen travellers until recently. They have visited some 90 countries during their marriage.

Gay said she and Robert have struggled with having “itchy feet” since they stopped travelling.

Their children seem to have caught the wanderlust gene, though.

Grown daughter Jenny had recently visited the Arctic Circle.

The couple said they go everywhere together.

“Even if I go to the supermarket, he comes,” Gay said. “And it’s always been like that.”

She believed having things in common may have been the trick aiding their marriage and longevity.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.