Couple's diamond wedding despite some rough times

Published on Monday 11 July 2011 09:37

Alison and Angus McKenzie are preparing to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary - despite the marriage not getting off to an auspicious start.

The Leith-based couple will celebrate their diamond wedding on August 18, in their favourite holiday destination: the island of Jersey, in the company of Mrs McKenzie's sister Betty, and of all the friends they have met on the island over the years.

Angus, 81, and Alison, 84, will first entertain their friends and family with a nice lunch at Persevere Bar in Leith. Both of them were born and raised in the area, and are still proud members of its community.

It was in Leith, at the Eldorado Ballroom, in the late 1940s, when they first met. Mrs McKenzie had just returned from serving with the Women's Royal Air Force in Egypt, while Mr McKenzie was working as an engineer with Brown Brothers Ironworks in Broughton Road.

The couple had to wait another year and a half before they could marry, as Mr McKenzie, who was a member of the 15th Scottish Para TA, had to join the Royal Navy for his National Service.

It was just after his return in April 1951 that Mr McKenzie proposed, but on the day before the ceremony Mrs McKenzie was diagnosed with pneumonia.

She struggled with the disease for the next three years, spending most of the time in and out of sanatoriums.

The couple were advised by doctors not to have a family, to prevent the disease from spreading. In 1954 she was finally able to return to her job at Scott Lyon the Baker. After 15 years working there, she found a job with Scottish Special Housing Association, where she worked for 22 years, until her retirement in 1991.

While working for the association, Mrs McKenzie was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a disease which forced her through another long struggle lasting nine months. She had to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and also had her spleen removed.

Despite all the troubles, she never lost hope and managed to defeat the lymphoma. She said that during those hard times her husband had been excellent.

"We have no children, so he was everything I had," she said. "But he has been there for me all the time. You really need someone like him to get through such difficulties."

Mr and Mrs McKenzie are now a couple of happy pensioners - Mr Mckeznie is a devoted Hibs supporter, and still regularly attends the Saturday game at Easter Road with friends.

The couple both play outdoor bowling, and they have travelled all over the world. But their favourite destination remains Jersey, where they will soon celebrate this latest milestone.