A VINTAGE car was hired to take a Tavistock golden wedding couple to a celebratory party. Bob and Maggie Butler said the car, hired by their two sons Stephen and Gary and their families, had been 'a real surprise'. The couple met at the weekly Tavistock Town Hall Saturday night dances in 1954. Bob said he was 'courting another girl' at the time, but Maggie was a good dancer. 'That swung it!' he said. 'Good partners are hard to find!' The dances, which cost half-a-crown, were 'the highlight of the week' with local bands attending, he said. Bob, who was born in Plymouth but moved to Tavistock in 1939, was doing National Service at the time, but returned to Tavistock at weekends. Maggie was born in Lamerton, where she lived until they married on November 10 1956 in Lamerton Parish Church. They have lived in Tavistock ever since, Maggie being a hairdresser in a local salon and Bob working for SWEB as an electrician for 46 years. Bob, 74, enjoys gardening and do-it-yourself, while Maggie, 72, shares the gardening and also takes part in keep fit, handicrafts, and helps at the local Oxfam shop. A party was held at the Chipshop Inn on Saturday with all their family and many friends attending, some from London and Shropshire — 'Nobody said no', said Maggie. The couple decided to forego presents and asked for donations instead for the RNLI —£245 was raised and will be passed to the Callington branch in memory of friend and Callington RNLI stalwart Ted Clarke, who died earlier this year.