“She’s the only woman I danced with who could talk. She was a terrific talker.”
These days, Lorraine laughs that the roles have reversed, with Malcolm the more talkative of the two – a change that he says only reinforces how important communication has been.
“Communication is the biggest thing in a marriage. If there’s something you don’t agree on, speak up and say it. That’s what it’s all about. You don’t want to brood about something,” Malcolm said.
Most of their married life was spent in a house they built on Malcolm’s family dairy farm on O’Carroll Rd, Maungakaramea, using timber Malcolm milled from the property.
They bought a washing machine with cash received as wedding gifts, setting them up for a family. By 27, they were raising a son and three daughters — and today their family has grown to include 12 grandchildren and six great‑grandchildren.
“Family is the biggest thing for us,” Malcolm said. “If you want a full life, you’ve got to get married, have your children and then they have the grandchildren, great‑grandchildren.”
Malcolm has always loved cars and in those early years he enjoyed taking the family out in his 1952 Hillman convertible. Many cars and brands later, both of the Walkers still drive.
After 20 years of milking cows, they moved into market gardening, then kiwifruit, and later avocados. Lorraine was a popular office administrator at Tauraroa Area School for 23 years, from 1970 to 1993.
Some of their happiest times have been their extensive travels around Australia with Malcolm’s late brother Graham and his wife, Elaine.
On one of those trips, they bought a black opal from Lightning Ridge – a stone they recently had made into a ring for Lorraine to mark their platinum anniversary.
Still living independently in their own home, the Walkers continue to look after each other. They tend a large garden and lawns, share daily routines and remain active in the community.
Both play indoor bowls at Mangakāhia, and their home remains a gathering place for family Christmases.
Lorraine continues to manage the family finances, while Malcolm maintains their vehicles and enjoys deciphering the Northern Advocate’s daily code cracker puzzle.
Reaching a platinum wedding anniversary places the Walkers among a tiny group in New Zealand and overseas. Fewer than 0.1% of marriages are believed to reach 70 years or more – a milestone requiring not only commitment, but also marrying young and living well into old age.
Even nationally, where only a handful of couples have reached 80 or more years of marriage, making it to 70 years remains rare – an occasion sometimes marked by congratulatory messages from the King and the Governor-General.
“We’ve had a good life,” Malcolm said.
“We still love each other.”
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.