Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post 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
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

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

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

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 / Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua couple Derek and Margaret Gill's 65th wedding anniversary made special despite lockdown

Shauni James
By Shauni James
Rotorua Weekender reporter·Rotorua Daily Post·
28 Apr, 2020 11:50 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

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Derek and Margaret Gill celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary last Sunday. Photo / Supplied

Derek and Margaret Gill celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary last Sunday. Photo / Supplied

The nationwide lockdown was no obstacle to a Rotorua couple celebrating a special anniversary in style and with connection to family.

Derek and Margaret Gill celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last Sunday at Fergusson Home, where they live.

Although family were not able to visit to celebrate the special occasion with them, Fergusson Home arranged an afternoon tea for the couple with a heart-shaped cake, decorating their room with balloons and photos of them from over the years.

Derek and Margaret Gill celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary last Sunday. Photo / Supplied
Derek and Margaret Gill celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary last Sunday. Photo / Supplied

Daughter Jane Enyon-Richards said family sent them a lot of bubbly, chocolates and flowers, and also Skyped with them in the afternoon.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The staff at Fergusson Home had been wonderful, she said.

She said Margaret was born and bred in Rotorua and Derek was in the Merchant Navy, coming to New Zealand from England and signing off when he was part of bringing the Māori Battalion back.

"He signed off in Wellington and made his way up the country because he had a brother in Rotorua. There used to be dances and they met at one. Dad spotted a lovely red-haired lady across the room."

Derek and Margaret got married in the original St Mary's Catholic Church on April 26, 1955.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Enyon-Richards said Derek worked as the greenkeeper at the Rotorua Golf Club and Margaret sewed curtains for different shops in town.

They spent some time living in Wellington and Hamilton, but came back to Rotorua.

Discover more

Rock of love! Couple tie the knot at Taupō concert

31 Jan 12:27 AM

'It was love at first sight' - Tania Tapsell gets engaged

16 Apr 07:28 PM

Lockdown low: Rotorua couple must wait to say 'I do'

18 Apr 12:00 AM

Rotorua's Anzac Day in lockdown

23 Apr 09:00 PM

"Dad was an avid golfer. He retired as the head greenkeeper when he was in his early 60s and was made a life member of the golf club."

Derek and Margaret Gill celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary last Sunday. Photo / Supplied
Derek and Margaret Gill celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary last Sunday. Photo / Supplied

The couple has three children - Tony, Helen and Jane - seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, with another great-grandchild on the way.

She said they loved each other so much and although her mother had had dementia for a number of years, she always knew it was Derek, her "darling".

Derek and Margaret Gill pictured celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in 2015. Photo / File
Derek and Margaret Gill pictured celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary in 2015. Photo / File

"And Dad always calls her 'my girl'. It's just lovely to see them still such a tight little unit, and it's nice to have them together. Sixty-five years is amazing and it's great to see how much they still cherish each other.

"Their marriage is for life and they are best friends."

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM

Information sought about man in green coat and gumboots on Pine Drive, Murupara.

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM
Caught on tape: Identity finally revealed of Jaguar-driving teen behind CBD rampage

Caught on tape: Identity finally revealed of Jaguar-driving teen behind CBD rampage

06 Jul 06:00 AM
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
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • 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