A retired couple in Ellon have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary by recalling the unusual circumstances which brought the pair together.
Ron and Sylvia Baston met as teenagers whilst working together in Leamington Spa, but only got together through a chance encounter some years later.
Mr Baston noticed some youths on the street giving his wife trouble and stepped in to lend a helping hand, as the prelude to walking her home.
The 84-year-old explained what happened next.
He said: “We first knew each other at the age of 15 when we were working in the same place.
“I was serving my apprenticeship as an electrician and she was a telephonist.
“But we didn’t go out when we worked together. It was a few years later I saw some youths on the street giving her bother and I stepped in to help her out.
“I walked her home after that and the rest – as they say – is history.”
The couple were married in 1951 and remained in the Midlands for their working lives.
Mrs Baston worked as a bookkeeper and Mr Baston began his career as a policeman and subsequently plied his trade as a personnel manager.
They have a son, Steven, a daughter Debbie and five grandchildren, Michael, Iona, Charlie, Patrick and Camilla.
The couple retired to Ellon after their daughter married an Aberdonian and moved to Insch.
Their son lives in Luxembourg, but he was still able to chip in with organising the arrangements to help them celebrate their big day.
Along with his sister, he arranged for a bagpiper to join them at their house to celebrate their 65th anniversary.
The couple later joined friends for a celebratory meal at Eat at the Green and were delighted with the festivities and meeting old allies.
Mr Baston said: “It was a lovely day to mark the occasion. We had dinner with some friends.”
There was only one question left to ask: what exactly is the secret to enjoying a long and happy marriage?
They both had similar ideas as to the nature of the winning formula.
Mr Baston said: “It is all about compromise and having affection for each other.”
His wife added: “It’s all about give and take and also looking after each other when the other one is unwell.
“The vow that you make is to take care of the other in sickness and in health and we have both done that to each other over the years.
“It’s about compromise, we have had some hard times, but we have certainly had some lovely times as well.”
Congratulations to them both!
