A COUPLE from Bransgore who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this week have revealed their secrets to a long and happy marriage.
After a chance encounter on the bus to a dance in 1950, John and Jean Harrison married at the Priory in Christchurch on March 15, 1952.
The happy couple celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary with a special stay at the Christchurch Harbor Hotel overlooking Jean’s birthplace in Mudeford.
John, 96, is a World War II veteran and served with the Royal Engineers for 12 years traveling to Italy, Kenya and North Africa.
John and Jean Harrison on their wedding day at the Priory in Christchurch
He then went on to work at the Ordnance Survey in Southampton and worked at De Havilland as a craftsman before retiring.
Together the couple have two children, Julie and Nigel plus four grandchildren and they recently welcomed their first great-grandchild named Harrison.
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John said: “We’ve had a great life – while we could, we tried to travel as much as we could going to France and we were linked to a village in France where we used to go at least once a year.”
Jean, 89, said: “We’ve had some lovely holidays. My son used to work in Africa and we would visit him and go on safari.
“We loved the animals and they are some of our most cherished moments, being on safari.”
Revealing the secret to a long and happy marriage, Jean, an avid tennis player, said: “One of the things is that he doesn’t snore – he’s silent at night and I’m a very light sleeper.
John and Jean Harrison
“I think if I married someone that snored I’d not have had much sleep in my life and probably be quite miserable because of it.”
“I think we’ve been very lucky, we’ve both had reasonably good health and we’ve been quite happy together,” Jean added.
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John said the secret to being together for so long is “not to have any arguments”.
“And if you do have to, then make sure they last five minutes at the most,” said John.
They will be celebrating their wedding anniversary with their family on Sunday.
