Childhood sweethearts to celebrate sapphire anniversary

The Canberra residents plan to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, September 15, meeting family members in Bowral.

They have five children, 10 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, all living in Australia.

Many of their relatives' faces smile from framed pictures in a home filled with memories and evidence of Mr de Menezes Ribeiro's passion for photography.

The couple recalls the afternoon they married in a cathedral in Macau, with a reception at her parents' house.

It was 1945, exactly a month after World War II's end, and they were the first in the colony to tie the knot after the global conflict ceased.

They grew up together in what was then a Portuguese territory in China and their parents were close friends.

At school, Fernando and Maria spent recess time together and she jokes he was "a cradle snatcher".

He reminds her she wrote "To my future boyfriend" on the back of a snapshot she gave him when she was 10.

They talk about their 1949 move to Hong Kong, where he worked in the Portuguese Consulate.

In 1963, they relocated to Canberra, where Mr de Menezes Ribeiro was head of Consular Affairs in the Portuguese Embassy until 1987.

Each takes a turn to recount their shared story, including how she won the women's race in the first Macau Grand Prix in 1954 and how he helped to start the diplomatic tennis tournaments held regularly in the ACT.

Both still drive, keep active and are comfortable using "the three i's" – i-pad, i-pod and i-phone.

They list the milestones of their marriage: a renewal of their vows in the Macau cathedral for their 30th, a local ceremony and celebration for their golden event and a diamond anniversary bash at the yacht club.

Standing near cards from the Queen and the Governor General, Mrs de Menezes Ribeiro flashes her new sapphire ring.

The years slip away as the happy pair reminisce about dancing cheek to cheek.