Golden Bo’ness couple celebrate with family

Ian (74) and Isobel MacKay (71), who were married on October 3, 1970 at Bo’ness Old Kirk, firstly went to Fletcher’s in Stirling for lunch with their daughter Lyndsay and her family, before heading to Orocco Pier in South Queensferry for cocktails with their son David and his family

Isobel said: “We were able to have two celebrations. It was the best way to do things, what with the current restrictions. We had a really good day, excellent. We had booked a holiday for the 10 of us to go to Whitby but that didn’t happen, so we just had to make the best of the situation.”

Isobel recalled how she first met Ian back in 1965: “We both went to night school in Edinburgh. We would see each other on the bus back to Bo’ness. We were introduced properly through a mutual friend. I was only 16, so quite young. We went out for a year and a half then went our sperate ways. But we got back together in 1968, engaged in 1969 and married obviously in October 1970. And we’ve never looked back since.”

Looking back on their wedding day, Isobel said: “We had to have the reception in the Coffee House in Bo’ness, everyone had their reception there back then.

“It was a big turnout. And it was dry. The weather was good for October, we were able to get pictures taken outside.

“It’s a shame the weather wasn’t like that last Saturday.

“For out honeymoon we went to Fort William then Inverness, we were away for a week. We got good weather up there as well. And we were in quite nice hotels, we had a lovely time. Very few people went abroad for their honeymoon back then. All my friends went somewhere in Scotland or England for their honeymoon.”

And what is the secret to such a long and happy marriage? “I think just give and take, and help each other out, work as a team,” added Isobel.

The couple have a son, David(44) and a daughter, Lyndsay (48). They have four grandchildren, Louisa (15), Erin (12), Ruiraidh (11) and Andrew (7).

“Our grandchildren have always kept us busy. I retired when Erin and Ruiraidh were born. So I’ve been busy with them since then,” said Isobel.

Ian was an apprentice painter with the Bo’ness Co-op then a painter and decorator for various companies before going alone. He later became a college lecturer, passing on his knowledge in the trade to others, before retiring in 2011.

Isobel worked in an accountants office in Edinburgh for five years them moved to Hewlett Packard’s accounts department before taking a break to have children. From 1986 she was a mortgage advisor for Santander in Linlithgow before retiring in 2009.

The couple spent much of their retirement in their flat they bought in Spain in 2003, before selling it last year.