Diamond wedding celebrations for Grangemouth sweethearts

A cheery couple who had a bit of a carry-on on the buses have celebrated a special anniversary following a 60-year journey together.

Stan and Margaret Kimm from Grangemouth first met when Stan (88) drove buses and Margaret (85) was a conductress in Glasgow – and it was sometimes a bumpy ride when they worked together.

Stan said: “One day, when Margaret stepped off the bus to punch a ticket, I drove away without her and she had to run back to the depot.

“She wasn’t too happy with me that day I can tell you. We both got suspended.”

Margaret said: “Yes, take what he got that day. We had a lot of fun working on the buses though, but the night buses were a bit wild. Lot’s of great memories.”

The couple got married on December 23, 1955 in Govan’s McGregor Memorial Church. Stan’s best man was the bride’s cousin Ralph Melville, while Margaret’s bridesmaid was sister Frances Crawford.

They have a son and a daughter, Ian (58), who now lives in the USA, and Mandy (52), as well as grandchildren Scott (27) and Nicola (23).

Before working on the buses Stan was a military man who served in Korea with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers.

The couple moved to Grangemouth in 1968 and Stan became a long distance HGV lorry driver. His ambition is to drive across the ice like the Ice Road Truckers. Margaret worked for Foster’s Menswear, Crawford’s the Bakers and Sweet Talk in Grangemouth.

Stan proposed to Margaret at the pictures with a box of chocolates, which he admits to eating himself and, as with their time on the buses, their wedding day had its ups and downs too.

Margaret said: “At the reception some people complained about a draught so Stan went to see if could sort it out, but when he moved something a big speaker fell and hit him right on the face.”

On the secret of a long and happy marriage, Margaret added: “We’ve had our struggles and been through hard times but we’ve always managed to see the fun side of life.

“I think we have young heads on our shoulders. We’ve been lucky with our health too and have an amazing family.”

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