Couple celebrate 75th wedding anniversary
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LOVE that blossomed over a bicycle has endured for 75 years for King Edward couple Mina and James Lownie.
Not only have they been partners in love but also business after running a family fish-selling firm for 60 years.
World War II brought an enforced separation for the couple and the war meant James, who was involved in the rescue of Allied personnel from Dunkirk, did not see their son Edward until he was 20 months old.
James (93) and Mina, who will be 93 on Christmas Eve, celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last Saturday in the company of familty at their Woodside of Foulzie home.
The couple, who have four great grandsons and two great great grandchildren, moved to King Edward earlier this year to be closer to their grand-daughter, Jennifer Archibald, and her husband, Bruce.
Born and brought up in the Aberdeenshire fishing village of Gourdon on the east coast near Montrose, Mina and James attended the same local school.
"He used to give me a shot of his bike because I didn’t have one. He never gave anyone else a shot," said Mina.
Love blossomed properly at local dances in their teenage years and the couple were married in Aberdeen.
Both came from fishing families and James spent many days at sea as a young boy with his father, who had his own boat.
James enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserves at the outbreak of war and for the next six years saw active service all over the world, most notably at Dunkirk in 1940 when he and his fellow crew-mates on board the former herring drifter, The Strive, steamed home with 246 relieved soldiers on board.
With bombs and shells exploding all around them, the beaches at Dunkirk were among the scariest experiences of WW2.
James served on a number of vessels during the war, carrying out convoy and mine sweeping duties in North Africa, the Adriatic, Malta, Sicily and many other places.
He was later trained in submarine detecting skills and helped patrol the so-called U-boat alley which was the English Channel, rising to the rank of Petty Officer.
During the war, Mina worked in a jam-making factory in Montrose, while raising the couple’s only child, Edward.
After the war, they set up the family business James Lownie and Sons, which saw them process and sell smoked and filleted fish from a fish house in Gourdon and to the wider community from three vans. The business employed seven people and James and Mina continued working until well into their 80s.
Their son, who was involved in the family business, died seven years ago.
Far from enjoying a relaxed retirement, the couple started attending afternoon tea dances where a passion for ballroom dancing was kindled.
The couple, both fans of the TV show ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, only stopped dancing themselves after James suffered some mobility problems.
They enjoy spending time in their garden and feeding the birds and squirrels which visit every day.
"We never had that in our village," said James, "it was mainly the gulls, so we are fascinated by that."
As to the secret of their married life, James added: "Patience and perseverance."
Mina said: "We just get on with things. We are really blessed and have pretty good health."
