How dance hall dates became a life-long partnership for couple marking 65th anniversary
Rosemary and Keith Turner, who live in Wroxham, are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary. Picture: Supplied by the Turners - Credit: Archant
When they started chatting away on a coach coming home from a famous Norfolk dancing hall it must have seemed at the time like a casual thing.
Rosemary and Keith Turner on their wedding day. The couple, who live in Wroxham, are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary. Picture: Supplied by the Turners - Credit: Archant
But love quickly blossomed for Rosemary and Keith Turner, and now the couple, from Wroxham, are about to celebrate their 65th anniversary.
Mrs Turner, 85, said: “He grew up in Wroxham and I grew up in Little Plumstead. The coach used to come around to all the villages to pick people up to go to the Floral Hall in Gorleston.
“They would pick us up on a Saturday night and take us home again afterwards. I was 17 and he was 20 and he was doing national service.
“He was in his RAF uniform and I guess that was how I fell for him.”
Mr and Mrs Turner were planning to have a family gathering to mark the April 2 anniversary, but due to the coronavirus lockdown the celebration will be somewhat more subdued.
Mrs Turner said: “We’ll be fine - we shall have a drink and make the best of it.”
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Their son Nicholas, 60, lives in California and daughter Angela, 51, lives in Surrey. They also have five grandchildren.
Mr and Mrs Turner got married at Little Plumstead’s church and the reception was at Margaret Harker Hall in Blofield.
From the age of 16 Mr Turner had worked on the Norfolk Chronicle as its North Walsham reporter, and he became an aerial photographer in the RAF. After his national service, he worked for a succession of newspapers as a journalist, features writer and associate editor.
The couple lived in Swansea for six years, Bristol for another six and London for 30 years, where Mr Turner forged a career on Fleet Street in the days of rolling deadlines, photography dark rooms and hot metal printing.
Mrs Turner said: “He worked for the Herald of Wales, the Western Daily Press, the Daily Express, the London Evening News, Evening Standard, Sunday Express and finished on the Sunday Mirror magazine.”
Mrs Turner attended Notre Dame High School in Norwich, worked for the National Provincial Bank in London Street and ended up working at the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Mrs Turner said: “He really enjoyed the life and I enjoyed living and working in London.”
They moved back to Norfolk in 1996.
Mr Turner said they were both keeping active during the lockdown.
He said: “I am currently speed walking two miles, from our home to the entrance of Wroxham Broad and back, trying to beat my current best time of 28 minutes while my wife does 30 minutes of yoga.”
