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The Star, December 4, 2025 starnews.co.nz 70 years of marriage despite bad BY JOHN COSGROVE Sid and Jan Dyer celebrated 70 years of marriage last week. PHOTO: JOHN COSGROVE As Sid and Jan Dyer celebrated their platinum 70th wedding anniversary last week, Jan recalls driving with her father to the ceremony and noticing a large cloud high in the sky, looming ominously over the horizon. "It was huge, it filled the sky, so I asked dad if it was an A-bomb mushroom cloud,” Jan said. "He just laughed and said I shouldn’t be thinking about things like that on my wedding day." It turned out to be smoke – and lots of it. On Saturday, November 26, 1955, as Jan made her way to the Kaiapoi Methodist Church, gale-force nor-westers had spread the embers of a small fire overnight in the Balmoral Forest, south of Culverden. It was the most disastrous exotic forest fire ever to occur within a New Zealand State Forest, with 3152ha of trees destroyed. Those same nor’westers howled through Kaiapoi, and Sid remembers it was a job holding on to his new bride and stopping her bridal veil from lashing his face while the photographer snapped their wedding photos at the church. Fire would again touch The fire at Addington Raceway on Show Day in 1961 broke out in the south-west corner of the stand. the couples lives when on November 10, 1961, they joined 20,000 others to watch harness racer Cardigan Bay, the first standard-bred horse to win $1 million, take to the track – all while the main public grandstand was on fire. ‘‘Amazingly, no one was injured or killed that day. We initially saw a little smoke, then they asked everyone over the PA to move to the middle of the racecourse and from there we watched it burn down,’’ Jan said. When the couple met, Sid was a mechanic in Rangiora, and Jan was employed as a dressmaker for an exclusive frock shop in Christchurch. They locked eyes at a dance in the Clarkville hall. Jan was sitting with her girlfriends when Sid walked in. ‘‘I pointed him out to my girlfriend as I thought I recognised him. ‘‘She said she knew him because he had been to dinner at her place a couple of times, so I thought he was coming now is the time to PReoRDeR YoUR Christmas Ham anD Free Range Turkey oRDeR instoRe oR online toDaY 490 Sparks Rd, Halswell, Christchurch Phone: 03 322 8747 Hours: Monday-Friday 6am-6pm, closed Saturdays & Sundays Check out our website www.halswellbutchery.co.nz
starnews.co.nz The Star, December 4, 2025 wedding omens The fire, which completely destroyed the stand, was caused by the fusing of an electric cable in the building. over to ask her to dance.’’ Sid recalled Jan looking "pretty tidy" so he decided to ask her for a dance. Jan later wrote in her diary: ‘‘I met this wonderful guy, he was such a lovely dancer. "It was like being in heaven dancing there in his arms." That fact would have remained private, but when Sid was later invited by Jan’s mother to dinner, her younger brother sneaked a peek at her diary and then blurted out her private thoughts about Sid for all to hear. After two years, the couple were married and headed to Timaru for their honeymoon. “I hired a rental truck to tow a caravan to Timaru, where it poured down. “The caravan leaked badly and we got soaked inside and out, so we packed up and drove north to Rakaia, where we spent the next couple of days drying out everything." Later on, with two of their eventual three children in tow, the couple moved to Cheviot, where Sid worked in a garage owned by a former boss. He later moved the family to Amberley for 12 years to be a service manager at a garage there, before he and three partners bought the Herron’s Motors garage on High St in Rangiora when it came up for sale. The couple worked together at the garage, eventually buying the other partners out. The lease on the garage ran out after 20 years, and they moved their operation to Cone Street in Rangiora, working there until they retired nearly 30 years ago. Keen golfers, Jan says Sid will be 92 next year, and he still plays four days a week in the senior competitions. "I love the challenge of it and I’ve had many memorable days on courses all over Canterbury," Sid said. Last Wednesday, Sid and Jan’s daughter flew out from Australia to spend the day with her mum and dad to celebrate their platinum anniversary, a remarkable milestone that symbolises the rarity and significance of seven decades of love and commitment. When asked what the secret to their long partnership, both agreed it was "tolerance". New community centre opens at Lancaster Park The redevelopment of Lancaster Park is a step closer to completion after the new community centre and changing rooms were opened. The facilities in the park’s north-east corner were officially opened on Friday. Said city council citizens and community general manager Andrew Rutledge: "We know sports clubs have been excitedly waiting for work to be completed. "While they have already been utilising the sports grounds, having the community centre and changing facilities will cement Lancaster Park’s ongoing position as a central sporting, community and recreational resource in the city." The community centre includes a multi-use function space for about 100 people, a kitchen, a small meeting room and three externally accessed public toilets. The centre will be available for hire for a range of events, including prize-givings, fundraisers, community activities and sporting events. The changing rooms have toilets and showers for teams and referees to use. Lancaster Park was first opened in 1881. It has a rich history and is an important landmark in the city. After being damaged in the earthquakes, the stadium was closed and eventually demolished in 2019 when planning began on the extensive redevelopment of the park. ‘Just Toenails’ Service $55 offered by our Foot Care Assistant EVERY DAY SAVINGS 9am-6pm Eastgate closes 5pm Sundays Groceries for less • Sterile Equipment • Clinical Setting • On-Site Parking Unit 2B, 355 Riccarton Road Ph 03 348 7910 www.feetfirst.co.nz Charlie’s Juice Range 300ml *Stock varies from store to store Only $1.29 each V Blue 350ml Tim Tam Jatz 165g Only $1.79each Wow! 3 for $5 • 11 Langdons Road, Papanui • Eastgate Shopping Centre, Linwood www.savemore.nz savemorenewzealand Prices valid until 14th December 2025, while stocks last
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