John and Cyndel Clarke. - Sheldon Williams photo

Fifty years after they walked down the aisle and exchanged wedding vows before God and guests at St Mathews Methodist Church in Brixton, London, John and Cyndel Clarke celebrated their golden anniversary recently.

They mark the occasion at the Albion New Testament Church Of God in St Thomas. The Clarkes, however, admitted that they wanted to go on a cruise around the Caribbean but had to abandon those plans after they realised their preparation had started too late.

"We wanted a cruise because we celebrated our silver and ruby and we said we don't need anymore parties, we want a cruise but we started to plan too late. You have to plan and book about a year ahead to get the deck that you want, but we didn't know," Cyndel said. "So when we started to enquire about the cruise the deck that we got was deck three and that was too low and was too much underwater.".

The Clarkes have four sons from their union but John has a daughter from a previous relationship.

They have 10 grandchildren, however, John has an additional two. The Clarkes also have one greatgrand.

The couple, who met in 1959 when Cyndel was 20 and John, 24, dated for four years before they tied the knot in 1963.

When quizzed about how they met, it was sheer laughter between the two as the Clarkes reminisced on the day John made his move after Cyndel.

"I used to teach at a basic school in St Thomas. I was accompanying children and he said, 'Good morning teacher'. Little did I know that he was after me," Cyndel said with a chuckle.

John who was doing stone masonry in Aeolus Valley in the parish at the time, confessed that he had been admiring Cyndel for a while and decided to make his move on the day. A move which Cyndel described as "love at first sight,".

However, John faced competition in wooing Cyndel as his good friend whom he used to hang out with was also interested in her, but Cyndel's liking for John worked to his advantage.

"One day he came down to where I was living. My sister and I were there and both of them came, and the both of them were after me, even though one was supposed to be for my sister. The funniest thing about it, is that he said he was going to speak to my aunty about it," Cyndel remarked.

John kept his promise and wrote to Cyndel's aunt with whom she lived, seeking permission to see her on a regular basis, which produced a favourable result as the guardian approved.

Their relationship soon grew and they became inseparable, a love so strong that not even distance over the Atlantic Ocean could break.

The Clarkes had to adapt to being apart for a number of months as John emigrated to England in 1962. But Cyndel would join him later. "Life was rough in England mainly because of the weather. Driving at night was difficult," Cyndel recalled.

She identified one of the high points of living in England as being able to travel to other neighbouring countries such as Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and France.

John worked at British Telecommunications, a telecommunications company in London while Cyndel worked as a nursing auxiliary for 25 years at Guys Hospital in London. The couple returned to Jamaica in 1998 but travel to England every now and then to visit their children.

The Clarkes compliment each other effortlessly. "We adapt each other's thoughts. For example if I said I want to buy that cushion, she would say, 'really! I was thinking the same thing'," John said with a smile. "We don't hide anything from each other."

Cyndel attributed the longevity of their relationship to God's glory - a sentiment that John shared.

"Teeth and tongue must meet but I didn't go overboard. We couldn't have done it without the help of the dear Lord," Cyndel admitted.

The Clarkes also took the opportunity to offer relationship advice to younger couples. "I would say you have to first trust each other. Communication is key. Do things together," Cyndel said.