Dingwall's Diamond duo mark a milestone 60 years after tying the knot
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A COUPLE who have helped change for the better the lives of hundreds of young people down the years marked a major milestone in their own lives last week.
Roddy and Eunice MacRae of the Grove, Bridgend in Dingwall, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with their sunny garden being the busy venue for well-wishers and family throughout the day.
These included visits from Ross-shire Lord Lieutenant Joanie Whiteford, the Queen's representative in the area, and her deputy, David Lockett.
The diamond duo were delighted to receive a card from the Queen, congratulating them on 60 years of marriage.They tied the knot on November 5, 1960 at Maryburgh Free Church having met at a Motor Ball dance at the Ben Wyvis Hotel in Strathpeffer – "I borrowed my mother's fur coat," she recalled.
Mr MacRae owned Bridgend Engineering Works from 1982 until 2002, when they built the Grove.
Mrs MacRae is well known for her love of Dingwall and has served as a community councillor. Along with her husband, she continues to offer supported housing for young people and, in earlier years, fostered children for two decades.
The couple have two sons and three daughters.
Mrs MacRae said: "I'm 80 now and it's been a life I have enjoyed. We've been very happy."
Asked the secret of a successful marriage, she said: "Be honest with each other and behave yourselves". She said of her husband, a former mechanic: "I'd marry him again."
They enjoyed a beautiful day for their 60th, albeit against the backdrop of Covid-19. She said of her years fostering that it had brought her great satisfaction with many former charges keeping in touch down the years.
She said: "If you treat young people with respect right from the start, you'll be fine."
Dingwall folk look forward each year to their famous illuminated garden Christmas decorations which have been an annual feature of the west end of Dingwall.
