Darling we aren't too old, though we pass the Jubilee Gold

True love lasts forever

by Lakmal Welabada

'A loving heart is the truest wisdom' - Charles Dickens.

Maxi and Noreen Anderson

"At the end of the session they put off the lights. It was a common practice allowing the couples to exchange a kiss. So did we. And I murmured in her ear 'I love you'. It was love at first sight.

She was gorgeous," says Anthony Richard Max Anderson who will be celebrating his 60th Wedding Anniversary on December 26 this year. His wife Noreen Esemie Barbara Joachim sits beside him and blushes. "Oh! Oh! all this makes me embarrassed. Why do you want to know all that, child?" she grumbles.

Married for sixty years! Wow! What a score! Yet not out with ups and downs; triumphs and failures. "We are still batting well," they laugh.

Max born on July 23 in 1924 celebrated his 83rd birthday recently. "My mother was Violet Ferreira. And my father, Russel Anderson, a planter who never wanted to see me take up the profession saying it was a job with a lot of 'temptations'... He wanted me to do a job which makes me come home in the evening," laughs Max.

Max was the youngest of two. His elder sister Queenie Anderson who worked at the Central Bank passed away long ago. "Her son Renford Brown is now in Australia. And he is just like one of our sons," says Max.

St.Joseph's College, Colombo is a place where Max still has some unforgettable moments. He still remembers how mischievous he was as a school boy.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp." The teacher who was at the black board turned around to see the 'bird' that made such a funny sound and was disturbing the class so much. He looked around, but no crow resting on the roof of the adjoining building, he couldn't figure out what was happening. There wasn't a shadow of any flying being.

The whole class pretended to be serious and suppressed their laughter with great difficulty. Some had blushed cheeks, they were giggling deep down in their throats repressing their laughter. Except the teacher everybody knew it was none other than but the 'Naughty Maxy'. "I was a mischievous guy, trying to break the silence and the monotony," he chuckles. He practised his own tricks on everybody.

Maxie's mischief was entertained by his family until the death of his mother. After that, his father seemed to become impatient. "In fact he was scared that I would go wrong in life, and it was his responsibility to raise us up properly," he went on. "As a result he transferred me to St.Patrick's College, Jaffna. I was at Jaffna from Senior Prep to Senior School Certificate.."

Max was at home for six months until he found a job in the clerical staff section at the Shell Company in 1944. His first salary was Rs,50. The Shell Company organised the Yuletide Dance at the Town Hall, Colombo in December 1946.

All the young men in the staff eagerly got ready to go for that as unlike nowadays young men and women rarely got an opportunity to meet and mingle with the opposite sex.

"Hey, Mervin, I hear you have a beautiful sister. Why not accompany her as well for the dance." Max overheard the conversation of his friend, Mervin and another colleague of his. He knew many of his friends would bring their younger sisters and cousins for the dance. It was the usual form. He just forgot about it and began to go through the files piled on his table.

The dance hall was decorated well. The glamorous evening was going to be memorable to many young hearts. Max was in his best suit. He just looked around beaming. The evening was becoming more elegant with the pretty girls in their dazzling outfits. But almost all were with their elders. So the young gentlemen had to be extra cautious.

Max knocked against one of the old hefty gentlemen who had a protruding stomach. "Oh! Sorry Sir," he hurried up to excuse. "Never mind knocking against me, but not against the lovely gals, eh, because their elders are around," he winked at Max while puffing his pipe continuously.

The young man blushed. However, there seemed to be some sense in what the old man said. Max was nervous. So he found himself a corner. Within a few minutes the dance floor opened. He had to invite a girl to partner him.

"Hi! Machaan." Max looked back. It was Mervin. "Meet my sister, Noreen," Mervin introduced her. Max shook hands. He was like a robot. He seemed to have gone in to a trance. The pretty face seemed to have instantly mesmerised Max. Noreen smiled and looked aside, she was blushing.

"Ok, guys, it's time for the dance. Please come to the floor with your lovely partners." Max heard the announcement. He didn't think twice. Unlike today, to get a girl on to the dance floor, the man would have to bow down and ask her hand.

And it was one of the formalities of the Strict tempo dances. Max knew all that. When her parents said 'ok' with a nod, Noreen agreed to dance. At the end of the dance when the lights went off he kissed her and said he would visit her at her home. She just said 'hmm'.

Noreen was born on February 8 in 1927 to a planter Stanley Brechman Joachim and May Iverine Tousaint as the one before last of six children. "All my brothers attended St.Benedicts, Kotahena and all the girls studied at Good Shepherd Convent, Kotahena," she says.

Noreen was not at all in favour of hostel life, but she was compelled to be in the hostel throughout her schooling. She still recalls how she has howled hanging on to her mother when her parents first tried to leave her at the hostel. Her elder sisters were also at the same place, and it was the only relief for her mother who went home in tears.

Noreen was put in a cot to sleep. However, she was not going to give up. Every time after school holidays Noreen was played up at home refusing to go back to the hostel. But everything failed. She had to go back, she had no choice. After about a year, one morning the girls were asked to go to the grounds for sports.

While passing by the main entrance she noticed that the school gates were opened. She never thought twice and just walked out from the school. Fortunately, a carter who was known to her aunt who lived close to the school at Kotahena recognised her. "Baby, koheda Yanne? (where are you going?)," he asked.

And since the little Noreen failed to give a straight and satisfying answer, the carter decided to take her to her aunty's place.

The next day Noreen was taken back to school by her aunt. Nothing seemed to have gone wrong for her, but on behalf of her, Noreen's 12-year-old sister, Joyce had to kneel down for half and hour. "She was my favourite sister, and I really felt bad about it. She was punished for not looking after me properly," recalls Noreen.

After sitting for the Senior School Certificate, Noreen started teaching at Wolfendal High School, Kotahena. "I taught the Kindergarten, and was bit of a strict teacher," she smiles.

After the dance Max got to know that Noreen was a teacher at Wolfendal, and began passing the school lane whenever possible. However he arranged a day to visit her place.

They got the blessing of their parents. "Everybody liked him except my younger brother who was really fond of me. This lead him to develop a bit of jealousy towards Max. My brother would sometimes deflate the air off the tyres of Max's bicycle. But it only delayed Max from leaving our place," she laughs.

This was another two Burger families that were getting together. After a short engagement Max and Noreen tied the knot at St.Lucia's Cathedral, Kotahena on December 26 in 1947.

"I can remember we had a Gramophone for our wedding. To have our honeymoon trip to Lunawa Rest House I spent only Rs,90 for the rented car. The wedding ring I bought also cost me only Rs,90. I bought my favourite bicycle also for Rs,90. And I was getting Rs,250 per month as my salary by the time of our marriage. The cost of living was not so high. There were less temptations. We lived contentedly. The life we lead was far different from today. The world has changed," says Max.

"We had our ups and downs. Oh, he was a loving hubby, but was very strict. He didn't like me going to work, so I gave up teaching. Then I started a catering business, he didn't like that either. However, with our three sons, Anthony, Peter and Gerard I hardly had time to attend to anything else. Now we are proud to say we have six grand children and two great grand children. In addition, both our elder sons celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversaries," she says.

Noreen is a benevolent woman who has the ability of negotiating with people of all walks of life. From the sales girl to the butcher, the fisherman to the carter in the Kiribathgoda area have been her friends. She has a neighbourhood when they are always ready to stretch out a helping hand for her. "It's a blessing.

When you are good to people, you get it in return in many ways. We live for a short spell, so why not make it worthwhile? " she asks. Both Max and Noreen have devoted themselves to Church charity work very much.

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