Dingwall's diamond duo recall two-day honeymoon before return to work on Monday
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WHEN a teenage shop girl saw a young man flying along on his Open All Hours-style message delivery bike, it was love at first sight.
Kennedy Stewart was rushing back to Dingwall from his lunch break at home in Maryburgh when he made the deep impression on a 16-year-old Evelyn MacKay.
"I just said 'He's no bad,' as I was out walking on my lunch break with a workmate," said Evelyn who worked in another Dingwall grocers.
That was 62-years ago, and this week Kennedy and Evelyn have been celebrating 60 years of happy marriage, their Diamond Wedding.
Evelyn said: "Kennedy worked in Lows and I worked in Coopers in Dingwall, and eventually a lady I worked
with told him 'Evelyn says she fancies you' and that was it.
"We started going out together and two years later we were married in the church at Ferintosh."
There was no flying off for a honeymoon abroad for them back in 1963 said Evelyn, now 78.
"We were married on the Thursday because that was half-day for the shops, and spent our first honeymoon night in the Station Hotel in Inverness.
"We had the Saturday night in a hotel in Aberdeen, and then it was back to work on Monday. Things were different back then, though we have had plenty foreign holidays since."
Kennedy went into the construction trade and became a steel fixer with Logans before working for several big companies including MK Shand in Easter Ross and Nuttals at Foyers, Loch Ness, and latterly at Muir of Ord Maltings as a crane handler.
Evelyn gave birth to Kennedy junior in 1964 and about three years later to daughter Kay, and now the diamond couple have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren aged three and one.
The diamond wedding was to have been marked with a family holiday in a lodge at Fort William, but sadly this has been put on hold after a close relative took ill two weeks ago.
But the happy couple were delighted when Ross-shire Lord Lieutenant Joanie Whiteford came to their Conon Bridge home and delivered their diamond wedding letter of congratulations from King Charles.
And on Tuesday (Mar 28) the couple were joined by family and friends for a lunch at the Cottage Bar and Restaurant in Maryburgh.
Asked for their secret for a long and happy marriage Evelyn said: "The love we have for each other saw us through the 60 years. Of course there were wee tiffs, every marriage has them, but we're both looking forward to our next letter from the king to mark 65 years."
