UNDERSTANDING, kindness and German Shepherd dogs have been the key to 60 years of wedded bliss for Peter and Eileen Luke.

The couple from Yarnton, who today celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary, have lived in Africa, owned a monkey, a parrot, five of their favourite dog breed, and had three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

And for the past 57 years they have lived in the same house in Rutten Lane. Mrs Luke, 81, said: “It’s just about give and take.”

Mr Luke, 85, said: “The key is to be understanding of each other’s problems, and kindness. We have always had this bond through animals, and it all started with a monkey.”

The couple met when 21-year-old Mr Luke, an electrical engineer from Hounslow, was assigned to a job at Glympton Park manor house in West Oxfordshire, in the early 1950s.

He stayed at one of the lodge houses on the estate, which is where Eileen Clemons, then 17, had grown up.

The couple were married at Glympton Parish Church, and later moved to Africa’s Gold Coast where Mr Luke had secured a new posting.

It was there they adopted a mischievous pet monkey called Sparky. Mr Luke said: “He would climb to the top of the curtains when you were sat reading the paper, and jump down into the middle of it.”

The family stayed there for two years, having their first son Michael in 1955, and then returned to England and bought the house in Yarnton where they still live today.

Their second son, Richard, was born there in 1956.

After forming a bond with their pet monkey, the Lukes had a lifelong love affair with German Shepherds, owning five in a row, including retired police dogs.

“They are marvellous,” said Mr Luke. “They are so intelligent, and they have always been a bond between us.”

The couple now have three grandchildren, Malcolm, Lauren and Clare, and three great-grandchildren, who live in New Zealand, Te Awhe, April and Georgina.