Alan and Jennie Pybus of Macmillan road enjoyed the visit from the Mayor Wendy Hillary on the occasion of their Golden Wedding Anniversary on New Year’s Eve.
Alan from Ferryhill, met Jennie while he was serving in the RAF at Manby near Louth in Lincolnshire. It was a chance meeting as he expected someone quite different on an arranged date. The lady he meant to take out didn’t get off the bus, but Jennie, a nurse, did and he asked her to make up a “foursome” to which she agreed.
They were married in 1964 and after Alan completed his five years stint as an Acting Corporal in Catering, he moved back north after he got a job with DDS Bus Service.
While travelling therough Aycliffe on the bus route he thought it would be a good place to live and he got a job with Tallents and the couple moved into St. Aidan’s Walk.
Jennie, after producing five sons, worked for GEC, Union Carbide and the town centre Supermarket before retiring.
When asked how many grandchildren they had, Jennie admitted to losing count, but did eventually give a total of eleven with one great grandchild on the way.
Both enjoy walking but Alan is not as able as he was and is content model making and completing jigsaws. Jennie is still a keen walker and along with friends takes to the fells and other countryside treks.
Over the holidays all the family came together from different parts of the country to help celebrate the anniversary, using local places to eat such as the George & Dragon and the Sports Club.
