Sixty years together celebrated

Mate and Elizabeth Higginson were married by the Rev. Breb Stevenson on a clear, frosty thirteenth of August morning sixty years ago. Their reception was held in the Martinborough School Assembly Hall. Followed by spending their honeymoon in the South Island. 

Mate and Elizabeth celebrated their special anniversary with children Joy and Tim and their families along with friends at Parehua.  Jane, in Perth, and Andrew, in Papua New Guinea were unable to attend. Mate commented “we were treated most royally”. This including the Maynard twins singing songs such as Blue Smoke which bought back many precious memories. 

Mate and Elizabeth have lived in the same Cologne Street house all their sixty years of married life.  At first they lived in a two room cottage across the road while Ted Richardson built their house. Mate recalls that the total cost was three thousand three hundred and thirty three pounds eight shillings and three pence (2020 = $155,611) Building costs were much lower in those days plus young couple had access to a government ‘State Advances’ loan set at 3% payable over thirty years. 

At first a street had not been formed, access to the house was by a dirt track, eventually a street was formed, later it was metalled and some considerable time later finally sealed. 

They have watched many changes to the town over the last sixty years. One major change Mate recalls was the Town Square, the road around the Square was originally two way and the Square was enclosed by a hedge.  

Mate recalls how the local people were so helpful and hospitable to him and Elizabeth in their formative years. They look back with gratitude.  

We wish them many happy years together .