Published March 2025
On January 15, Ascot couple Mari and Jack McDonald celebrated 70 years of marriage.
Jack recalled the day he met Mari, dressed in their Sunday best for a walk around Oriental Bay in Wellington, right down to the phone number she gave him.
“2-4-8-double-6” he recited, all these years later.
He was working on tram lines at the time, and he used to look out for her when the college trams went past and Mari would give him a wave.
They were good friends for years before he proposed, going ballroom dancing together – Jack said he had to get lessons to keep up with her.
One day over milkshakes, Mari got to the point. “Where are we going with this?” she said.
“I said, well I’m going to (football) practice,” Jack said, laughing. “I thought she was talking about where we were going after the drink, but she was talking about further on.”
They got married and had two kids, their daughter Jo-Ann May and son Stephen. They lived on a sheep farm at Wainuiomata, and then in Wellington, before making the big move to Australia.
Jack was in the jewellery business while Mari worked at Doomben Racecourse.
Sport has always been a part of their lives – Jack played football, Mari represented Wellington in basketball, and they would often have tennis matches with their Australian friends.
Perhaps this has contributed to their longevity. Now 92 and 90, they still live in the same brick apartment on Lancaster Road.
What is the secret to staying together so long? Mari said they have had their ups and downs like anyone, and Jack added simply that “we just get on well”.
