Diamond couple who enjoy ‘the quieter things in life’

A COUPLE from Henley who met at an ironmongers have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.

Michael and Kirsten Trendall, of Clements Road, first set eyes on each other at the former Dennis C Lord & Son ironmongers in Bell Street, where Michael worked.

They were married two years later at St Mary’s Church in Henley on September 5, 1964. At first they lived with her parents in Luker Avenue before moving to their current home in 1968.

Mrs Trendall, 82, worked for her father, who sold paraffin from a van, from the  the age of 16 and they used to shop at the  ironmongers, which is now Temptation Gifts.

Mrs Trendall recalled: “We had an account with Lords so we used to go and collect things. When we met, Mick was new working there so he  didn’t know where things were.

“I came into the shop to get an aladdin wick and I said, ‘I know where they are’ so I climbed up a ladder and got it. I went back a few days later and he asked me to stay for a coffee break. I was known as the oil girl.

“I was wearing boys’ trousers and I had to have boys’ lace-up shoes because the paraffin would  ruin your shoes if you got any on them.  I had a little sueded jacket and a moneybag as well but it wasn’t like boy meets girl in your best togs.”

The couple went on  dates together at the original Old Regal Cinema in Henley, where   two films a week were shown, and one of their favourite places to go  was Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire where they swam in the outdoor lido.

On their second date, Mr Trendall  visited her house in Luker Avenue with a bouquet of flowers.
He recalled: “The next time we met, Kirsten was ill and I came along to her house with daffodils and that was when we started going out.”

The couple became engaged in 1963 after Michael proposed in her garage.

Mr Trendall recalled: “I was working on a car in her garage and I just couldn’t concentrate on the job. We’d been courting for about two years at that point so I asked her to marry me.”

Mrs Trendall said: “I was a bit surprised. I wasn’t in my best clothes. It was a spur of the moment. I wasn’t expecting it. We went to the pictures [cinema] afterwards to celebrate.”

They  were married at St Mary’s in Hart Street surrounded by about 30 of their friends and family. They had saved up for  about eight months and they had their reception at the former Bear pub in Bell Street.

Mrs Trendall,  who went on to work at various  shops in Henley, including Makower Fabrics in Greys Road, said: “My flowers were pink and white roses and my dress was from a shop in Reading in Broad Street. We had to put together all our savings for the wedding.

“I got the veil and headdress in a different shop opposite the Broad Street Mall. I think my dress cost about 12 guineas. The headdress and the veil was about five guineas.

“We’d ordered some flowers to be delivered to the mums and they were happy to receive them. It was a nice surprise for them.”
The couple went on their  honeymoon to Southsea, Portsmouth, where they experienced a pleasure flight over the historic dockyard. They went on  have a daughter, Debbie, 57, who lives in Leighton Buzzard.

Mr Trendall  served in the Royal Air Force, including at Medmenham, before they were married and then spent 20 years of his working life at the Pearl Assurance insurance firm in Reading.

After taking early retirement at 58, he drove a delivery van for Woods Wines in Henley for six years.
Mr Trendall, who is known as  “Mike”, is vice-chairman for Henley Town Football Club where he signed up as secretary and treasurer nearly 52 years ago.

The couple enjoy going on holiday abroad and have enjoyed a trip to Tenerife. For their golden wedding anniversary in 2014, they travelled to Paris for the weekend.  One of their favourite holidays was to New York to celebrate paying off their mortgage in  2000.

Mr Trendall said: “I had this idea of going to New York. We flew with Virgin and it was marvellous. It was so warm.
“We spent the first two days in Central Park and we went up the Empire State Building and up the north tower (the  World Trade Centre) a year before it was bombed.”

They say they don’t know the secret to a successful marriage but said the key to it is being loving and  supportive of each other.
 Mr Trendall said: “I don’t believe it. It doesn’t feel like 60 years. When you get old, you can’t believe it. The time flies by.
“Life just goes on. I don’t have a secret. There must be a secret but I don’t know what it is. We’re simple folk, really. Kirsten does a lot of gardening and we enjoy the quieter things in life.

“We’ve spent our life on holiday, really, we go on two or three a year, even four sometimes.”

Mrs Trendall added: “I can’t believe it. It’s just give and take and we discuss things together and we do things together and we make one another laugh.”

The couple planned to celebrate their anniversary with dinner at Villa Marina, the Italian restaurant in Thame Side, Henley, joined by their daughter and her husband.