West Leigh couple celebrate 60 years of marriage

‘It’s unbelievable to think we have been married 60 years. It has just flown by.’

Nev and Pat, née Palmer, met at the Savoy Ballroom, Southsea, in 1960. Nev, who was originally from Durham, had moved to Portsmouth when he was a marine and Pat had grown up in the city.

Nev, 80, says: ‘I asked her to dance and we started chatting. We got along very well.

‘We only courted for about six weeks before we got married.’

Married on October 29, 1960, at Portsmouth Register Office, the Moyles’ wedding was a big family affair.

‘Pat’s family really welcomed me,’ says Nev, smiling.

Pat, 82, adds: ‘We had the food for the reception at my Aunty Vera’s house and then we had the dancing at my Aunty Vi’s.’

The couple moved to Poole after they got married because of Nev’s new posting with the marines.

He says: ‘Pat started working as a health inspector at an engineering firm.

‘We were in Poole for about a year and then I was commissioned to go away for 16 months. Pat moved back to Portsmouth while I was away and we had our first daughter and son, Sue and Robert.’

In 1964, while Nev was with 42 Commando, he was posted to Singapore and his family moved with him too.

‘While we were out there, Debi was born,’ explains Nev.

‘When we came back, I left the Marines in 1967 and we moved to Leigh Park. That’s where our son Warren was born.

‘We stayed there for about 20 years and then we moved to West Leigh. We’ve been here for about 33 years.’

Now, Nev and Pat have 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren but will keep their anniversary celebrations low-key.

‘We don’t want to break the Covid rules,’ says Nev, laughing.

‘We used to go dancing every Tuesday and I used to play snooker quite a lot. But sadly that’s stopped now.

‘The secret to a long marriage is to always put aside your differences and let go of arguments. Always kiss and make up and don’t allow it to affect you.’