Diamond Wedding

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 33, 9 February 1937, Page 11

Diamond Wedding

THEIR MAJESTIES CONGRATULATE HASTINGS COUPLE. Congratulatory messages from their Majesties tho King and Queen, his Excellency the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, and tho Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, marked tho diamond wedding of Mr and Mrs F. Williams, of 804 Willow Park road, Hastings, which was celebrated on Sunday. Mr and Mrs Williams were married at Waipawa on February 7, 1877, tho officiating minister being tho Rev. Joseph White. Mr Williams, who is aged 84, was born at Freeman’s Bay, Auckland, in 1853, and, with his parents came to Napier in 1860. He is to-day hale and hearty, and vividly recalls many stirring episodes of tho early days in Na-pier,-including the earthquake of 1863 and the Maori Wars of that time. Mrs Williams was born at Halifax, Yorkshire, England, in 1858, and was a daughter of Mr and Mrs A. Firth. With her parents she sailed for New Zealand on the Parsee, landing at Auckland in 1872 after a long voyage. .

Mr Williams was . engaged in sawmilling at Te Aute in his early days, and later left for Pahiatua, where ho was farming for a number of years, He returned with Mrß Williams to Hawke's Bay some 15 years ago, when they took up their residence in Hastings.

The diamond wedding . celebrations took the form of a dinner and family reunion, which was attended by nine out. of the 10 children of the marriage.