Love blossomed over lunch for Moray couple
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LOVE blossomed for Ernie Christie and Nancy Watson over lunch in a tearoom.
Ernie was the diner and Nancy the waitress more than 60 years ago when the couple first met at the former Stephen’s Tearooms in Newmarket Close in Elgin.
Mr and Mrs Christie are celebrating 60 years of married life.
Ernie (85) and Nancy (83) started courting in 1946. He worked at Morrison’s Seed Merchants in Elgin and would regularly pop into the tearooms for his lunch.
They became engaged on Christmas Eve, 1948, and married on July 11, 1951, at the Church of Scotland, Burghead, Nancy’s home village.
The couple lived in Burghead for most of their married life and moved to their current home at Priory Place in Elgin 20 years ago.
Ernie, who is from Urquhart, was in the Home Guard during World War Two.
He went on to work as a meter reader for the Hydro Board and then worked for Myles of Perth as a roving salesman of industrial and domestic cleaning products, covering the North of Scotland.
In 1972 he went into the same line of business for himself, travelling all over the North of Scotland.
He only formally retired 10 years ago and has done a number of odd jobs over the years, including a ‘Midweek Extra’ delivery supervisor with ‘The Northern Scot’.
Nancy left school at 14 to work in the ladies’ department of Stephen the Draper’s in Elgin High Street, opposite where Poundland is now.
From there she moved to the tearooms, where she met her husband-to-be, and went on to work in Woolworths, where she became a supervisor.
The couple are both members of St Andrews-Lhanbryd Church and the Elgin Darby and Joan Club at Elgin Community Centre.
"There has to be give and take in a marriage," said Ernie.
"If you have a tiff, forget it and move on with things."
The couple have two sons, Iain and Hamish, and a daughter, June.
They also have six grandchildren, Laura, Billy, Terry, Scott, Shaun and Craig, who sadly died in 2003 at the age of seven following heart surgery in America.
Read the full story in 'The Northern Scot'
