It’s jokingly been said there are two things needed for a long marriage: a thick skin and a short memory. Worldwide, fewer than five percent of all marriages last 50 years, with a much smaller number surviving 60 years. The Weekly speaks to three devoted Kiwi couples who have been married 60, 65 and yes, even 70 years, and discovers it’s the small daily acts of devotion that count towards lasting love.
Rex & Valerie Cowley
When Rex Cowley spotted Valerie Harris across an Auckland dance hall in 1949, he thought to himself, “She’s a bit of all right” and immediately wanted the next dance with her.
But Val, as she’s known, was only 17 and had come to Ye Olde Pirate Ship – a two-storey dance hall in Milford – on a date with another chap, who Rex knew.
“I didn’t care,” smiles Rex, 92. “I asked her to dance and we just hit it off straight away. It was love at first sight.”
“When we finished that first dance,” adds 90-year-old Val,
