After being married for 70 years, a local couple say their wedding anniversary tomorrow will be just like any other day.
Kath, 92, and Claude Teece, 95, first fell for each other while away on a fishing trip in their teens, and have been together ever since.
Theirs is a rare long-term love story, and Kath puts the success of their union down to a solid effort on both of their behalf.
“We’ve had a few rough patches, but we just kept on trying, and here we are.”
She says the day of their anniversary ‘sort of crept up’ on them and the occasion was celebrated with a get together with family – which includes their three children, grandchildren and great grandchildren – and friends on Saturday night.
Kath and Claude have always lived in Nelson or Motueka, with a stint on a farm near Upper Moutere.
The only time they have been separated was for three years when Claude went to war when he turned 21.
The separation never did them any harm though says Claude, who was based out of Maadi Base in Cairo on the banks of the River Nile during World War Two. They wrote letters backwards and forwards weekly, resulting in an inevitable engagement ring being sent in the post. “They do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder – and I can’t get rid of her now” he says.
While most spouses could probably list off a dozen annoying habits that their other half just can’t seem to shake, this isn’t the case for these two who are “the best of friends” and still get along famously. “We are so used to each other that we don’t notice. And if we haven’t gotten used to each other by now then we never will” says Claude.
