Tony Fowler wasn’t home for his 60th wedding anniversary.
“I had more important things to do,” he says, with a twinkle in his eye.
Luckily for him, his wife Alison is used to his sense of humour. Tony is well ensconced in Motueka’s bowls scene – he had a tournament to win on the day of his anniversary – and Alison was, as always, happy to give him space for his hobby.
“He’s got 18 centre titles in bowls,” she volunteered with pride.
The couple are brimming with stories that give a window into their lifetime of teamwork.
They met in their home town of Motueka, at Alison’s workplace in Budden’s Bookshop.
While neither of them remember much about that first occasion (“I don’t know, you must have wound me up,” Tony tells his wife), they were married two years later at St Thomas Anglican Church.
There was no honeymoon to speak of – those were only “for the mighty rich”, laughs Alison. Instead, after a one-night escape in Nelson, they got on with things, leasing a farm in Riwaka to give them a start on life.
They spent years working in tobacco – even Alison was back out pulling plants with a two-week-old baby – and moved on to kiwifruit when the tobacco industry was deregulated.
Together with Tony’s brother and sister-in-law they built a four-bedroom bach in Awaroa from scratch, enjoying plenty of holidays there as their three children grew up.
Both have a long history in the area, with Tony’s ancestors settling in Riwaka about the same time that Alison’s were making their way to Nelson.
When asked about the secret to their long relationship, both paused and laughed.
“We’re both quite capable of speaking our minds,” Tony said eventually.
Their daughter Carolyn reckons she knows the answer though.
“They’ve always been working as a partnership,” she says.
Tony agrees with her.
“Things do get tough from time to time, but you just have to work your way through it.”
“I think you get used to one another,” adds Alison.
She reckons that if you can manage to accept your partner’s point of view, you can get through.
Carolyn says that, for herself and her brother and sister, Tony and Alison have been “our rock”.
“The other thing I appreciate about them is they let us be who we are,” she says.
Despite Tony’s glib comments, his appreciation for Alison shines through.
“I’ve had a pretty lucky life living with my wife,” he says.
