Golden couple celebrate half century of happiness

John and Catherine McFarlane know the secret to a long and successful marriage, as they celebrate reaching their golden wedding anniversary.

The couple, from St John's Hill, have enjoyed 50 years of happy marriage, which has taken them on a journey from childhood sweethearts to lifelong companions, and they say their secret is to put in the hard work, keep young in thought and spirit and keep a close relationship with family.

The romance began at a dance hall when they were aged 16 and 17. Both attended St Patrick's Primary School and lived on Arthur Street, off Leith Walk, from birth. They continued dating after Catherine moved to Captain's Road, near Liberton, at which point John would walk ten miles to visit her.

They married on February 18, 1961, at St Catherine's RC Church in Gracemount and had two sons, Paul and John, before daughter Gail completed their family.

"Mum and Dad are very well-liked people," said eldest son Paul. "To me they're more than just my parents, they are close friends. My dad is someone I know I can confide in and is the person I trust more than anybody else in the world."

John, or Mick as he's known to friends, spent five years working for the Co-op as a butcher before moving to Edinburgh's Campbell Brothers butchers, where he became a director and retired at 62, after 41 years' service.

Catherine worked in nursing, during which time she became a well-known and much-loved carer in Liberton Hospital and Liberton Gardens Nursing Home.

After starting married life living with Catherine's mother Nellie, the couple moved to Southhouse Avenue to build their own family home and met many people that would go on to be lifelong friends.

They moved to Loanhead in 1976 where they lived for 27 years before returning to their Southside roots eight years ago.

They now dedicate much of their time to their five grandchildren, Monica, Maxine, Melissa, Joseph and Jacob. Catherine also loves to go shopping and meet up with friends, while John is an avid cook, and also enjoys reading and browsing the local music stores. They both love to travel and their voyages have seen them reach far-flung destinations including the Caribbean and the United States. They have recently returned from a month-long trip to Dubai and Australia.

"They are very family-minded people", Paul said. "They flew all the way to Sydney to see my granddad, my mum's dad, and they're really looking forward to having everyone round for the big family meal on Easter Sunday.

"My eldest daughter, Monica, went travelling for a couple of years after she finished university so this will be the first time we'll have all eaten together as a family for a while, so it will be a very big occasion."