Patience and humour at heart of Lossie couple's 50 year-bond
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A LOSSIEMOUTH couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary said patience, and looking after one another, are key to making love last.
Edward Petrie (77) and Rosella Petrie (68) celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary with a dinner at Lossiemouth seafood restaurant Catch 79 earlier this month.
The couple met in the early 1970s while Edward was in the army as he made a weekend visit to his family home.
Rosella, who has lived in Lossiemouth all her life, married Edward, nine years her elder, on the day after her 17th birthday.
Having left school aged 15, she worked in the town's "very cold" fish factory and left after becoming pregnant with first daughter Fiona and second daughter Diane.
Edward left the army before the couple married in 1974, before working on the roads with construction firm George Wimpey for 45 years.
Rosella said the demanding job meant her husband would regularly leave at 5am and not return until 9pm.
However the role, which took him across Scotland including to Ullapool and Wick, did help inform the family’s holidays in their caravanette.
The veteran also attends reunions for both the Argyll Highlanders in Stirling and Queen’s Own Highlanders in Inverness.
He has also made the trip to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to mark Remembrance Day.
Edward, who has epilepsy, said he continues to go for a walk every day and is proud of his full head of black hair.
As Fiona and the pair's second child Diane grew up, Rosella began a 15-year stint working at a Lossiemouth dry cleaners.
At the tail-end of her career, she also cared for her mother who passed away three years ago.
Fiona (47) has learning disabilities, and Rosella has a history of helping at groups her daughter attends including the Greyfriars Club in Elgin and the Outlook Club.
She is also a member of the Elgin branch of disability charity Enable.
Asked why she has spent so long supporting local groups, she said: “Oh, just to help other people, really.
“And just to have a wee bit of time away from each other as well."
Younger daughter Diane Laing (44) works as a midwife and has two children, Kelvin and Elaine.
Asked what had helped the grandparents reach the 50-year milestone, Rosella encouraged people to have an open mind and let things go.
She said: “Just have patience, I think. Bite your tongue sometimes.
“Just take every day as it comes.
“Especially now when we're all getting older and that."
Rosella said it was important to have some regular time apart from one other, just “to have something to talk about”.
And the pair said they continue to get on well.
“Aye, we have our days," Rosella said.
Edward added: “It's been a long time. You kind of look after each other, you know?
“You've got to do that, ken.”
