Sidney and Amy Napier in their earlier days.

Sidney and Amy Napier of Ballards Valley in St. Elizabeth celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Thursday June 28, 2012.

They celebrated with a small get-together with friends and family. The couple both grew up in Woodside, Ballards valley and attended the Ballards valley All Age School together which is where they met. Amy said she was about 13 at the time.

Their friendship continued after leaving school. Sidney said he always told her that one day she would become his wife.

During courtship, Sidney said he used to take chocolate and fruits for Amy's mother. Whenever the couple went out Sidney said they were always granted permission since he had a good relationship with her parents.

By age 17, they had decided to get married and had a double wedding with Amy's older sister. Sidney said they did not wait because they were in love with each other. Describing how she felt about her marriage at an early age, Amy revealed that she was expectant but was not overly concerned although she did not know a lot about life.

Amy shared that since she was underaged her mother had to give written permission for her to get married. She remembered donning a yellow dress for a civil ceremony at the Registrar in Mandeville, Manchester and the reception was held in Ballards Valley.

The newly-weds moved in with Amy's parents after which Sidney got the opportunity to migrate to England to seek employment. He said he went and although he worked only eight pounds per week, he sent for her in less than a year. He said he made a promise to himself that no matter what, he would not leave her for long. This promise was most pressing because in addition to his wife he was also concerned about their young son. Amy later joined him and they stayed together in England for more than 30 years before returning home in the '90s.

An openly expressive Sidney said what has kept them together is "love and care for each other that's what keeps us together, if you have that you can go on forever". He said whenever they had disagreements "we just come together and talk over it, it neva go too far."

He said throughout the marriage he has never gone outside of the marriage or did anything to hurt her. This unity extended to their family life, and even when they disciplined their two children, Sidney told THE STAR's Life & Times that the decisions were jointly made.

His advice to young couples is to get to know the family they will be married into first. He said persons should not get married hastily but find out as much about their partners before they get married.

He said the couple should keep the marriage together by loving and caring for each other.

Amy said she has not regretted her marriage and has never been interested in anyone else. She rubbished the idea of multiple partners, which she said "is not the best". She said a couple will go through rough times and good times but should not hate each other."

Over the years, the couple has enjoyed going to the beach - a trip they made about two weeks ago - hosting intimate dinner parties or going out to eat. They also enjoy praying and reading the Bible together at nights. Sidney said those activities have kept the union together.

Going forward, although the couple both suffer from a few ailments, Sidney said the love is still strong and that he thinks that they are blessed, which has helped to keep them together after all these years.

Left: The couple showing affection at their 60th wedding anniversary party Right: The happy couple sharing a hug. - Nackeshia Tomlinson photos