Mum remained on Clachanburn during the three years between her visit to the Murray’s in late 1946 and their wedding in mid-December 1949. Her father’s health was deteriorating, and she was needed on the farm. Dad initially worked on North Island hill country farms to gain farming experience, but later, he had some time on an arable farm in the lower Hakataramea Valley. This job was a lot closer to the Maniatoto and Beverly. He attended the Columba College Ball in 1947 as Mum’s ‘man’ and spent a good deal of time on Clachanburn, helping out and spending time with Mum.

They were married at Khandallah in Wellington on the 14th of December 1949. It was a very Aitchison affair as it was their home territory. Many of Mum’s aunts and uncles attended, although sadly not her father who had died two months before. It seems from the photos that none of the Murrays attended the wedding. Quite why, I don’t know, but it seems unlikely that it was because they disapproved of the match, as they went north immediately after the wedding to spend Christmas with the Murrays and to go camping with them at Tindall’s.

Mum had previously met the Murrays in the summer of 1946/47. However, then she was simply a prospect. This time she was his wife. Stories don’t relate how well this went but I suspect she won them over quite quickly. For her part, I never once heard her say a negative word about her in-laws. The nearest she got was to grumble on occasion about Nan trying to interfere in the bringing up of her children. Dad’s younger sister Barbara, who was Mum’s age, became a close friend and Mum said she helped her enormously in fitting into the Murray clan.

Only after the Tindell’s camping holiday, did they have their so-called honeymoon – a tour through the central North Island, Hawkes Bay, Bay of Plenty, and Rotorua. Beginning as they intended to continue, with a camping tour, and freedom camping wherever possible.

And so began their married life.