A DEVOTED couple have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

The big occasion for Basil and Dorothy Ellis on December 22 was marked with a card from the Queen, a visit from Mayor of Christchurch Nick Geary and the Mayoress and a surprise dinner party with family at the Amberwood in Walkford.

Basil, a retired telegraphist and crooner, and Dorothy, a retired carer, were born in India, and grew up as neighbours in Bangalore, the garden city of India.

Love and romance followed in their teens, and they were married on December 22, 1947 at St John’s Church in Cleveland Town.

Having left India for the UK with their four sons and three daughters in the late seventies, Basil and Dorothy, now 91 and 87 respectively, live a peaceful and contented life in Christchurch, surrounded, and well cared for, by their seven children.

Dorothy, or Bud as she is better known, courtesy of Basil likening her lips to rosebuds, still enjoys cooking the family’s favourite Anglo Indian cuisine for her frequently visiting children, while Basil is at his happiest when he is in the company of family and friends.

The couple also have 14 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.