2 weeks Ago By Hibiscus Matters
However, they say the bedrock of their marriage has been their faith, which isn’t surprising given that they met in church in Wellington when Frank was studying to be a teacher and Gwen was training to be a school dental nurse. Gwen plucked up the courage to ask Frank to accompany her to the Anglican Church ball and, as they as, the rest was history. Frank later went on to do three years of theological training at Trinity College in Grafton and was ordained as a Methodist minister.
Looking back on seven decades together, they say they feel blessed to have had a happy, supportive family including four children – Alison, Barbara, Judith and Dave – 10 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren, as well as a close network of friends who have “been there when we’ve needed them”. They have also shared good health, free of any serious illness or impairments. Frank, who will turn 100 next July and still drives and Gwen, 93, say they eat from their garden as much as possible, with a diet rich in raw fruit and vegetables.
“We keep away from artificial sprays and fertilisers by making our own compost, and try to live in harmony with nature as much as possible,” Frank says. The couple have travelled widely throughout their lives, starting with their honeymoon – a trip around the South Island in Frank’s father’s converted builder’s van. Many of their overseas trips were in conjunction with Frank’s involvement with CFO International, a global Christian movement promoting prayer and healing camps.
They say their favourite destination is probably Tonga, which they have visited three times. In the 1970s, Frank became a warden of the Order of St Luke the Physician, a movement whose main objective is to get healing back into the churches. He explains that originally, churches were responsible for the establishment of hospitals, and he believed that connection between the churches and healing needed to be strengthened.
The couple first moved to the Hibiscus Coast in 1974, after working in Dunedin, Wellington and the Wairarapa. “It was a very different place then. There were still dairy farms in Red Beach, and Silverdale was just a cluster of a few small shops and a post office.
“The roads were sealed but the peninsula was sparsely populated so there was very little traffic.” They left the Coast for five years to do a ministry in Paparoa, returning to retire at Whangaparāoa in 1998. But even today, in their advanced years, they still find time to counsel people at home.
Frank also delivers the occasional sermon at the Gateway Church, which meets at Kingsway School. “We feel very thankful to God for all the mercies he has shown us.” The couple will mark their platinum wedding anniversary with an eight day cruise in the Pacific followed by a lunch on December 13 with family and friends.
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