On April 26, 1975, Yvonne Moniz said “I do” to the love of her life. It’s a decision she’s never regretted. Tomorrow, she and her husband Donald will celebrate their golden anniversary surrounded by family and friends at Fourways Inn. Over the past fifty years, the couple has built a family and travelled the world together.

It’s a success that Mrs Moniz believes young couples can achieve ― as long as they remember that communication is key and try never to go to bed angry.

Mr and Mrs Moniz were married at Harton Methodist Church in South Shields, her home town in England.

She first came to Bermuda in December of 1970 to work as a nanny for a family with four children. A year later, the family welcomed a fifth.

“One of the highlights of my time as a nanny was when Charlie Chaplin came to visit and I was asked to take three of his children out for the day,” Mrs Moniz said. “Another was when Sir Richard Sharples was shot. He was due to come to the family home the next night for dinner. I remember the dining room table being set a week before he was due ― something I wasn’t used to seeing. It had to be ‘just right’.”

By the time the governor was assassinated, on March 10, 1973, she was already dating “Donnie”, whom she had met the previous April during a night out in Hamilton.

“Donnie was a footballer many years ago. He played till he was about 50 years old ― he played for Ramblers and Casuals and BAA Wanderers,” Mrs Moniz said.

She was at the BAA sports club with friends when Mr Moniz walked over, asked if she’d like a drink, and started quizzing her about her accent.

“[I explained I was] English, from the northeast of England. One word led to another and he said, ‘Can I give you a call sometime?’.”

One of their early dates was at The White Horse Pub & Restaurant in St George’s. Almost instantly, Mrs Moniz knew it was a good match.

“We just hit it off. He was the love of my life and still is,” the 77-year-old said. “He was a footballer. He was muscular in those days. He had big footballer legs and was very, very handsome.”

Mr Moniz, who is now 85 and has dementia, worked at Belco for 45 years and served as the energy company’s Sandys superintendent for 25.

Back in 1974, sometime around Christmas, the pair decided to marry. By then, they had been living together for about two years.

“We had been planning it, so it wasn't a case of him getting down on one knee, but he did it twice after that,” Mrs Moniz said.

They celebrated again, in Bermuda, after their wedding in the United Kingdom.

“The little cottage we lived in was in Pembroke, in Mill Creek. So we had another reception when we got back, two weeks after the marriage.

“We went to Paris on our honeymoon. [It was] so romantic. I think we had £11 to spend,” she said.

Mr Moniz had two sons from a previous marriage ― Donald and Michael, who passed away in 2022. The birth of their son Dean was a special joy in their life together.

“A few years later we bought a house, and since then we’ve travelled the world,” Mrs Moniz said. “We’ve been to Australia five times, we’ve cruised to Russia and Finland and Estonia; we’ve done the Mediterranean, we’ve been to the Caribbean ― we’ve travelled.”

On their 25th anniversary, the couple renewed their vows during a trip with friends from Bermuda.

“Six of us went on a cruise. We had a nice little reception on board, with loads of pictures. When our 40th wedding anniversary came around, we were in Nashville, Tennessee, and he bought me a ring.”

Mr Moniz went to hand his wife the piece of jewellery, but the man in the store insisted he make it official.

“He said, ‘No, no, no, no, no. You don't just give her the ring like that. You get down on your knee, and you propose to this woman again,’” she laughed.

Being honest with each other certainly helped their relationship, Mrs Moniz said.

“We've always had good communication and I don't think we've ever gone to bed angry. We've had our tiffs, like every marriage, but they were very few and far between.”

Before considering divorce, she urged couples to try and “work it out”.

“Sit down and talk. There’s no sense in one going one direction and the other going the opposite. You’ve got to sit and talk about things. It's so easy to walk away.”