A diamond couple who waltzed into each other lives more than six decades ago are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.

David and Pam Cobley are marking the milestone today after getting married on March 16, 1963. 

The couple has lived for the past 51 years in the village of Belstead – but Suffolk was not where they imagined they would spend their married life. 

The couple used to live in and around Brentwood, in Essex, and met at a dance at Ingatestone village hall.

Ipswich Star: David and Pam Cobley met at a local dance at the village hall and today mark their diamond wedding anniversary. Picture: The Cobley familyDavid and Pam Cobley met at a local dance at the village hall and today mark their diamond wedding anniversary. Picture: The Cobley family (Image: The Cobley family)

After tying the knot in 1963 at Ingatestone Church, the couple emigrated to New Zealand to begin a new life together. 

While they enjoyed their time here, Mrs Cobley was soon filled with a longing for the English countryside.  

“Mum became homesick,” explained the couple's eldest daughter, Bridgette Halsey. “She missed the green trees.” 

So, the couple journeyed back to the UK in 1967 with their two young daughters, Bridgette and her sister Zandra Cobley. 

Ipswich Star: David and Pam Cobley are celebrating 60 years of marriage. David and Pam Cobley are celebrating 60 years of marriage. (Image: The Cobley family)

They made their home first in Great Blakenham, and then in Capel St Mary, where their youngest child, Ian Cobley, was born. 

They then moved to Belstead, on the outskirts of Ipswich, where have spent over five decades together. 

Suffolk suited Mr Cobley, 84, down to the ground, for he had a keen interest in agriculture and steam engines, particularly vintage model of tractors, Mrs Halsey explained. 

Meanwhile, Mrs Cobley, 83, is a keen churchgoer and threw herself into church life. She worked for many years as a healthcare assistant at Tattingstone hospital, and then later at The Bartlet hospital in Felixstowe. 

Mr Cobley worked for many years for the company Dairy Crest, working his way up from being a milkman to a manager and supervisor. 

Mr and Mrs Cobley will be spending the day with their family, and look forward to spending the day with their family. 

Wishing them a happy anniversary are their children, Bridgette, Zandra and Ian and their four grandchildren, Olivia, Harvey, Lily and Charlie.