There were diamond celebrations for Joe and Lilian Hodgeson on Saturday as the well-known Tenby couple marked their 60th wedding anniversary.
The couple first met in 1939 while Joe, of Pontyrhyl, near Bridgend, was taking a stroll through Lilian's neighbouring home town of Pontycymer.
The couple were married at St. Theadore's Church, Pontycymer, on June 2, 1941, and moved to live in Leyland, Lancashire, where Joe's work as an apprentice carpenter and joiner had taken him.
However, their married life together was soon interrupted by Joe's wartime call-up and he went on to serve six years in the RAF on active duty in the Far East.
On demobilisation, Joe and Lilian returned to Pontycymer, where Joe was involved in the building of Margam steelworks, but in 1950 the couple were on the road again, with Joe and three fellow joiners moving to Tenby to take up posts with local firm L. H. Heeps.
When Mr. Heeps closed down his business to move to Scotland, Joe branched out on his own, setting up his own building firm.
In later years, the couple ran the Glenthorne Guest House in the town's Deer Park, until retiring in the 1980s.
The couple have one son, Derek, three grandchildren, Andrew, Nicola and Craig, and eight great-grandchildren, Rhys, Lewis, Gwyneth, Jessica, Beth, Millie, Ruby and Ceris.
In his younger days Joe used to be involved in amateur boxing, assisting the late Vic Morris and the late Dave James with the local club, but since retirement has concentrated more on artistic pursuits.
"I used to be pretty good at art at school and wished I could have gone on for higher education," explained Joe. "I kept my hand in when I was running the business and since we've retired I've had a lot more time for it."
Joe enjoys both painting and wood carving, but he is not the only artistic member of the household, with Lilian enjoying needlework and sugarcraft.
Indeed, the couple's home, 61 Upper Hill Park, bears witness to their skills, with many excellent examples of their work on display.
"People joke to us that we could hold our own craft fair, but it's nice to keep busy," smiled Lilian.
"We've certainly had a varied life," agreed Joe. "Sometimes when we look back it's hard to imagine how we fitted it all in and still ran our own business."
The couple even built their own home, White Oaks, on the Narberth Road, where they spent 18 happy years, but they admit to having "moved around a bit" before settling in their current home in 1995.
"Sometimes I think we should not have bought a house but a mobile home!" smiled Lilian.
Asked the secret of a happy marriage, Lilian felt that it was the ability to sit down and talk problems through.
"We've had our ups and downs like everyone else, but I think getting married during the war, not knowing where Joe was when he was off in the Far East and how safe he was, helped strengthen our bond," she said. "I think I'll put up with him now!"
The couple celebrated their anniversary with a get-together for family and friends at the home of their son and daughter-in-law Derek and Sal.
"It was a wonderful, memorable occasion," said Joe.