A DIAMOND WEDDING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 53

A DIAMOND WEDDING.

Mr and Mrs Richard East, old residents of Dunedin, celebrated recently the sixtieth anniversary of their wedding. Mr East was bora in 1830- at Laverham, Suffolk, England; and Mrs East in 1834 in County Armagh. Ireland. Mr East as a young man enlisted in the Fortieth Infantry Regi : ment and arrived in Melbourne with a draft'in 1855. The regiment was then sent to New Zealand in consequence _of the Maori' war. landing in Taranaki in 1860, afterwards being removed to Auckland. For 21 years and seven months Mr East served With the colours, going right through the Maori war, receiving on discharge the Maori War Medal and the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. He returned to England in 1866, but came back to Now Zealand, landing at Dunedin in March, 1876. On November 23, 1857, Mr and Mrs East were married at Geelong, Victoria. The surviving members of the family comprise Mrs John Burke (Roslyn), Mrs A. A. Jackson (well known as a member of tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board), and Dr East, ,of Whangaroi. There are nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. To celebrate the diamond wedding a reception was given by Mrs Jackson at Mr East's residence, at which relatives and very old friends were present. Messages of congratulation were received from various marts of tho Dominion. The Rev. Father Coffey, Adm.. offered felicitations to the couple, and Mr Burke responded on their behalf.' The worthv couple are both of lone-lived families. Mrs East's father having reached the great age of 105 years, while Mr East's father was 98 years of age when he died. A photograph of the couple and some of their descendants appears on our illustrated pages.