Ruth and Reg Grogan, 85 and 84 respectively, both from Liverpool, stayed at Hotel Dunchoille at Amherst straight after the wedding in their home town, and have been back several times since.
‘We’re both Christians and we met doing youth work and sang in the same choir,’ said Mr Grogan.
‘We started going out when we were 21 and 22, but we’d known each other for a while before that.’
They got together in 1962 and were married on 23 July in the World Cup year of 1966, a memorable date which had a significant impact on their nuptials too.
‘Our wedding was planned at a church near where Reg lived for 1pm,’ said Mrs Grogan.
‘It’s right near Goodison Park [Everton’s former ground] and we didn’t know that it was the quarter-finals of the World Cup that day, and so we had to bring our wedding forward to 11am to avoid the crowds.’
Thankfully the time change for their wedding meant they dodged the almost 52,000 spectators watching a historic match between Portugal and North Korea, where the underdogs raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half before Portugal came back to win 5-3.
‘Then we came to Guernsey straight away, and the final was the following week, which England won,’ said Mr Grogan.
When it came to deciding a location for their honeymoon, Mr Grogan, having previously visited the island when he was a student, insisted on Guernsey.
‘When I was a student in London, I helped out at a Boys’ Brigade company in Brixton and their annual camp was to Guernsey, so I came to Guernsey then and loved the island,’ he said.
‘In those days going to Guernsey was like going abroad and we absolutely loved it. We used to do lots of cliff walks, although we’re more cautious about that now.’
The couple did not return to the island after their honeymoon until their silver anniversary, but have now been about eight times, including last year.
Both Mr and Mrs Grogan had careers in teaching and now live in Kenilworth in Warwickshire. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
The couple said that their faith and patience with each other has kept their marriage strong for 60 years.
Upon arrival to the island last weekend to stay at Moores Hotel, they visited the Town Church, where they were given the option to renew their vows for their anniversary, but they declined.
‘We meant them the first time,’ said Mr Grogan. ‘We don’t have to do it again.’
They have spent their anniversary giving thanks at church and enjoying walks around the island’s coast.
‘It’s been a really good life for both of us,’ said Mr Grogan. ‘We were both teachers and have had the joy of seeing both our children and grandchildren grow up.’
You need to be logged in to comment.