The couple who courted on the Ninian Park terraces celebrate 60 years of marriage

By Gareth Rogers on Oct 27, 11 05:38 PM in Nostalgia

A couple brought together by their love of the beautiful game have celebrated 60 years of marriage.
Great Football fans Robert Knowles, 91, one of nine children from Riverside, and his wife Althea, 86, an only child from Rhiwbina, met on the terraces of Ninian Park watching their beloved Cardiff City.

They both had season tickets and sat near one another in the ground. After one game, Althea's father arranged for Robert to walk his daughter home.
The couple's great-niece Louise Heirene said: "Althea used to go with her dad and Robert would go with his brother Bernard.
"Their seats were in rows close to each other.
"A friendship developed and Althea's dad set up that one day Robert would walk Althea home.
"She used to cycle but he had made her walk that day. From there a courtship developed."
Robert's sister Vera said he had earlier served on HMS George V as part of the Russian Convoys during World War II and it wasn't until he was 30 when he married.
The couple were wed in Llanishen Church and soon after they bought their first and only home, also in Llanishen, where they both worked for the Inland Revenue.
Robert and Althea used to enjoy walking and frequently went up Caerphilly Mountain and the Wenallt, Cardiff.
In their later years they used to enjoy walking around Roath Park lake, feeding the ducks and popping into the cafe.
They were also accomplished ballroom dancers and enjoyed attending the Sybil Marks School of Dancing, Cardiff, and are still proud to tell people they were awarded a certificate for their achievements on the dance floor.
The diamond couple now both reside in the Willowbrook House Nursing Home, St Mellons, Cardiff, where they were visited by their family as part of their celebrations.
Sister Beryl said: "They never had children so they have always been fairly devoted to one another."
Louise added: "We asked them about special memories and they said they had good memories of holidays, especially the two cruises they went on."