He was a Eurasian Catholic while she was a Chinese Buddhist.
Right from the start, Madam Chua Poh Choo’s parents objected to their relationship. But Madam Chua, 67, was sure Mr Percival Shepherdson, 69, was the one for her.
They had met in 1974, while they were doing volunteer work to help the underprivileged. Madam Chua was working as a stenographer then and Mr Shepherdson was a senior security officer. She was very impressed by his leadership skills and his generosity towards others.
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Mr Shepherdson was drawn to her beautiful smile. And as he got to know her better, he noticed that she got along well with everybody, and that she never seemed to ask for anything in return.
The first time he paid for her bus ticket, she ran from the bus stop to the office in tears.
“I did not know who he was. The bus conductor told me that a man had paid for my ticket, so naturally I was afraid. Who knows what he might be up to?” Mrs Pereira, 80, recalled. After all, she was just 17.
The Pereiras eventually became friends and tied the knot on June 12, 1958, four years after they had met. They have two daughters.
Asked what advice he has for young couples, Mr Pereira said: “Forgive. Do not carry the anger with you. And do not borrow money. Even if it is to buy something to make your wife happy, always spend within your means.”
Mrs Pereira said patience and understanding play a big part too. “He is quick-tempered. So when he gets angry, I leave him alone until he has cooled down.”
These days, the couple look forward to spending time with their four grandsons and a great-granddaughter. They sometimes also take bus rides across the island.
“Sometimes, we go to Tampines, other times, Woodlands, or wherever we like. Then we ‘jalan jalan’ (walk) and catch a bus home,” said Mr Pereira.
TRUE LOVE OVERCAME FAMILY BACKGROUNDS
The first time Mr Syed Mohammad Syed Umar Shahab, 84, and Madam Sharifah Naraini Syed Hussein Alsagoff, 78, set eyes on each other, they were smitten.
But there was nothing more they could do than exchange glances.
They were both attending an event by the seaside at Marine Parade but the then 17-year-old was with her family.
Still, it was meant to be, for they met again a few weeks later at a wedding. This time, they spoke and exchanged phone numbers.
But the path of true love was anything but smooth, given how they were from very different backgrounds.
She was from a wealthy family with very strict parents. Their family backgrounds were worlds apart.
Knowing that her parents would not allow them to be together, she dated him secretly for several years.
He recalls how he would ring her home, and hang up. That was his signal for her to answer the next call. She would secretly skip her sewing classes so that the two of them could meet.
It took almost seven years for him to save up enough money working as a meteorologist at the airport to ask for her hand in marriage. “I was willing to wait because he is a good man,” she said.
The wedding, a grand affair, lasted five days at the bride’s home. Fifty-five years and two children later, the couple are still inseparable.
One of their habits is to never go to sleep angry with each other. “We argue, but before we go to bed, we have to settle the quarrel,” he said.
These days, they spend much of their time with family and friends.
And at least once a month, she cooks food they can pack for a picnic on the beach. “We love the sea, as that is where we first met,” she said.
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