Bay of Plenty couple Ken and Frances Elphick will celebrate 75 years of marriage on Tuesday. Still living independently in their 90s, they attribute their long lives and marriage to their faith in God and living off the land.

Wendy Ive couldn’t find an anniversary card at her local book shop that celebrated 75 years of marriage to give to her parents.

“Not that many marriages last that long,” she says.

Ken and Frances Elphick, aged 98 and 95, will mark their significant milestone on Tuesday surrounded by family, laughter, food, cake, and flowers at their Ōmokoroa home.

Their eldest daughter, Wendy Ive, 72, spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post on behalf of her parents, who are hard of hearing, from their second home, in Ngongotahā.

Ive said her mother was born in Te Puke and her father in Hamilton.

The couple met at Ken’s brother’s wedding in 1950 and married in 1951 in Tauranga, she said.

They have six children – Keith, Wendy, Heather, David, Joy, and Peter. All are alive but Heather, who died from breast cancer about 13 years ago.

They also have 14 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

After they married, the couple lived in Matamata and were sharemilking, Ive said.

They bought their first farm on Paradise Valley Rd in Rotorua 72 years ago and moved there.

Ive said they milked cows twice a day. They also had sheep and deer.

“Dad grew potatoes ... he had a barn right on the top of Mt Ngongotahā ... he baled hay, did silage.

“[He] worked extremely hard. His hips were worn out before he was 40, I think.”

Ken was also an avid deer stalker, she said.

Ken and Frances Elphick on their wedding day on April 14, 1951.

Ive attributed their long lives to their faith in God and “they’ve eaten off the land”.

“We lived off meat that he would do himself ... the vege garden ... the milk from the cows, hardly a thing was bought really from the shops. A healthy life.”

She said her mother made the “best” pavlovas and scones on the coal range.

Her mother used to do the washing in a copper before using a wringer washing machine.

“There were no automatic things in those days. And you’d have to wring the clothes out by hand through the wringer.

“Mum knitted, sewed, cooked, milked cows, did absolutely everything inside and out along with Dad.

“Dad can do anything. He can fix anything – he’s a master of all trades.”

Ive said it was a “hard life”, but they had the “best days”.

“I wish we could bring them back – there were no phones, no internet ... they say life is easier, but it’s more complicated.”

Ive said her parents also bought a kiwifruit and citrus orchard in Ōmokoroa about 40 years ago after they sold part of the Ngongotahā farm. They sold the orchard when they retired.

Their secret to a long and prosperous marriage

Ive said church had been a big part of their lives. They were Open Brethren and went to Roosevelt Road Bible Church in Western Heights.

“Dad was still preaching there at 94. In the end, he was sitting on a chair in the last couple of years to preach.”

Ive attributed their long marriage to their love for God.

“In the Bible, we’re taught to overcome obstacles, to love one another, to put one another first, and the rewards are the great respect you have for each other.”

Ken and Frances Elphick received cards from King Charles and the Governor-General of New Zealand to commemorate their 75-year wedding anniversary. Photo / Megan Wilson

They were a great example for Ive and her siblings.

“We live by what they taught us, and so we have successful marriages, beautiful kids, hard-working families.”

She said her parents were “blessed to still be around”.

“They’ve got their aches and pains, but who wouldn’t at that age?

“Mum will do mushrooms on toast and eggs ... always they have a very healthy breakfast of all of their rhubarb, feijoas, whatever’s in season ... ”

She said her parents lived independently, with some help from their children who did some cooking, groceries, and housework. They lived between their Ngongotahā and Ōmokoroa homes.

Asked what advice he would give to the younger generation to ensure a long life and marriage, Ken said, “To give their hearts and lives to the Lord.

“And work hard,” he said with a laugh.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.