Ive said her mother was born in Te Puke and her father in Hamilton.<\/p>\n
The couple met at Ken\u2019s brother\u2019s wedding in 1950 and married in 1951 in Tauranga, she said.<\/p>\n
They have six children \u2013 Keith, Wendy, Heather, David, Joy, and Peter. All are alive but Heather, who died from breast cancer about 13 years ago.<\/p>\n
They also have 14 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.<\/p>\n
After they married, the couple lived in Matamata and were sharemilking, Ive said.<\/p>\n
They bought their first farm on Paradise Valley Rd in Rotorua 72 years ago and moved there.<\/p>\n
Ive said they milked cows twice a day. They also had sheep and deer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad grew potatoes … he had a barn right on the top of Mt Ngongotah\u0101 … he baled hay, did silage.<\/p>\n
\u201c[He] worked extremely hard. His hips were worn out before he was 40, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ken was also an avid deer stalker, she said.<\/p>\n
Ken and Frances Elphick on their wedding day on April 14, 1951.<\/p>\n
Ive attributed their long lives to their faith in God and \u201cthey\u2019ve eaten off the land\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said her mother made the \u201cbest\u201d pavlovas and scones on the coal range.<\/p>\n
Her mother used to do the washing in a copper before using a wringer washing machine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were no automatic things in those days. And you\u2019d have to wring the clothes out by hand through the wringer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMum knitted, sewed, cooked, milked cows, did absolutely everything inside and out along with Dad.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad can do anything. He can fix anything \u2013 he\u2019s a master of all trades.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ive said it was a \u201chard life\u201d, but they had the \u201cbest days\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish we could bring them back \u2013 there were no phones, no internet … they say life is easier, but it\u2019s more complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ive said her parents also bought a kiwifruit and citrus orchard in \u014cmokoroa about 40 years ago after they sold part of the Ngongotah\u0101 farm. They sold the orchard when they retired.<\/p>\n
Their secret to a long and prosperous marriage <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad was still preaching there at 94. In the end, he was sitting on a chair in the last couple of years to preach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ive attributed their long marriage to their love for God.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Bible, we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
They were a great example for Ive and her siblings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live by what they taught us, and so we have successful marriages, beautiful kids, hard-working families.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said her parents were \u201cblessed to still be around\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve got their aches and pains, but who wouldn\u2019t at that age?<\/p>\n
\u201cMum will do mushrooms on toast and eggs … always they have a very healthy breakfast of all of their rhubarb, feijoas, whatever\u2019s in season … \u201d<\/p>\n
She said her parents lived independently, with some help from their children who did some cooking, groceries, and housework. They lived between their Ngongotah\u0101 and \u014cmokoroa homes.<\/p>\n
Asked what advice he would give to the younger generation to ensure a long life and marriage, Ken said, \u201cTo give their hearts and lives to the Lord.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd work hard,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n