Bainsford couple celebrating 60 years of happy marriage

A Bainsford couple celebrating their Diamond Wedding say the time has flown by during the six decades they have spent together.
Bainsford Diamond Wedding couple Robert and Elza Clark. Picture: Michael GillenBainsford Diamond Wedding couple Robert and Elza Clark. Picture: Michael Gillen
Bainsford Diamond Wedding couple Robert and Elza Clark. Picture: Michael Gillen

Robert and Elza Clark, nee Lyon, marked their 60th wedding anniversary on Sunday and spent the weekend surrounded by family members in celebration of the big occasion.

Meals at the Grange Manor Hotel in Grangemouth on Saturday night and at Boardwalk in Camelon the next day gave the Clarks a chance to reflect on their milestone moment.

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Elza (81) told The Falkirk Herald: “It’s just amazing that we’ve reached it!

Robert and Elza Clark pictured on their wedding dayRobert and Elza Clark pictured on their wedding day
Robert and Elza Clark pictured on their wedding day

“It’s just been a flash, it passes in no time.”

She and husband Robert (85) first met at the former Dawson Mission Church in West Carron, where both were regular attendees.

The duo had a festive period to remember in 1958 after getting engaged on Christmas Eve before marrying the following year in the church where they met.

Elza, who was born in Longdyke between Carronshore and Letham, attended Carronshore Primary School and Larbert High School, while Robert, raised initially in West Carron, went to Bainsford Primary School and latterly Falkirk Technical School (now Graeme High School).

The former moved to Carronshore briefly, aged 20, until finding a home in High Station Road, Falkirk with her husband.

Having spent five years there, the couple then swapped their surroundings for Bainsford’s Abbotsford Street, where they have called home for the past 51 years.

As well as having always living in Falkirk district, the Clarks have always worked in the area too.

Carron Company took Elza on as a shorthand typist and she stayed with the firm up until she and Robert — a confectionary baker with Fisher’s bakery — welcomed daughter Gillian (56) into the world before finding employment as a home helper in the region.

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The Clark family grew in number with the arrivals of Norman (51) and Martyn (48), providing Robert with plenty of opportunities to bake his renowned cakes, much to the delight of his wife and children!

The demand for his speciality sweet treats also increased when grandchildren Scott, Craig, Gordon, Andrew and Meighan and great-grandchild Archie came along.

When their time wasn’t spent working or taking care of their family, the Clarks enjoyed a spot of gardening and still do to this day. Robert was also a keen walker and would often take time to wander around the Falkirk area.

He and his wife are also life-long churchgoers and have been members of the congregation at both the Dawson Mission Church and Falkirk Baptist Church.

Along with their hobbies, the diamond duo singled out trips to Tenerife and Costa del Sol as particular holiday highlights, as well as the UK coach tours the pair like to take.

Singing from the same hymn sheet is naturally common practice for Robert and Elza during weekly church services, so the pair were unsurprisingly in agreement as they gave their views on the secret ingredient for a happy marriage.

Elza said: “Just being content together.”

Nodding, Robert added: “Trust in God and trusting one another.”

The Clarks would like to thank all of their relatives and friends for being part of their Diamond Wedding celebrations.

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