Seventy years ago, June Ball was late to her wedding because she had to help push a car out of the mud in her wedding dress and her soon-to-be husband, Stan, thought she might have changed her mind.
“It was raining and the taxi came over onto the grass so I wouldn’t get mud on the bottom of my wedding dress. Then it got stuck and I had to come out and help push the car, so my dress had mud on it! I was 10 minutes late to the wedding and Stan thought I wasn’t coming.”
This week they celebrated 70 years of marriage and “74 years as sweethearts”, holding hands as they have always done.
Just as memorable on their Invercargill wedding day in 1954 was the first night of their honeymoon in Gore, when they went to the movies because they were too shy in front of other guests to head to their room.
“We knew everyone knew we were on our honeymoon and knew what was going to happen! So, we went to the movies.”
They have been together since June was 14 and Stan 17, and today they are 88 and nearly 91 respectively, with five children, 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
It has been a marriage well lived around family, camping, motor homing and gold panning, as well as a can-do attitude that used their skills to make what they needed for their family and lifestyle.
Early on in their marriage, when they had a baby in a bassinet, the old house they were living in burnt to the ground and it was fortunate that June checked out sounds in the middle of the night, opening a bedroom door as its ceiling collapsed in flames.
By the time they had four children under five, they were keen for a sunnier climate and headed to Nelson, where child number five followed. They bought a section in Annesbrook, built a house they designed themselves and Stan, a joiner by trade, carried out much of the finishing work including window frames, benches and furniture. They lived in that house for 65 years and now they live in Waimea Village in Richmond.
Through the years, Stan designed innovative kitchens and created wooden toys that enthralled children visiting their home. Then he built the track for the Nelson Slot Car Club that became popular for many youngsters. At the same time, June passed down the skills of sewing, knitting and bottling preserves and both showed their children practical skills around the home.
When the kids were young they spent summer holidays in a caravan at Kaiteriteri, and when the kids left home Stan built their first motor home. In all, he built a caravan and three motorhomes, with all bar one motorhome now owned by younger family members.
“He built the first motorhome and that was such a success, he built a bigger one,” June says.
Motorhomes took them around the South Island, fossicking in random creeks where they panned for gold.
“Stan says the biggest worry was when we went out the gate and had to decide whether to turn left or right.”
They found enough gold over the years to buy a car and Stan used his craftsmanship to build sluice boxes for others to try their hand at panning for gold. June says their favourite spot for gold panning was Notown on the West Coast.
“We’d pull up on the side of the road and we’d be there for a week in the creek.”
They have collected more than 70 years of memories, and their family filled their Waimea Village home on Sunday to celebrate the milestone with them.
