WATCH: 'We were made to find each other' – Nairn bandstand is perfect backdrop to 'soulmate's' proposal
AN Australian man who made his new home in the Highlands proposed to his partner with the Nairn bandstand in the backdrop yesterday.
Angus Ferguson (34) took his partner Ruth Arbuckle (31) by extreme surprise on her birthday.
After asking her to go out for a sunrise walk by the Links, he dropped down on one knee and asked the big question.
"I was in total shock at first, I wasn't expecting it at all," said Ruth, who is originally from Findochty.
"I was out in my puffer jacket and in a bun, and when he said that he loved me and asked me to be his wife.
"It was so overwhelming, but then we had a walk, and what had just happened sunk in. Thankfully it was all caught on camera by a friend – I will look back to this memory later in my life!"
Angus – who has Scottish roots – moved from Australia to the Highlands a year ago while finishing a masters degree online, and it was in Nairn where he met Ruth.
"The bandstand is a meaningful place for both of us," Ruth explained.
"When I was younger I loved to sing and dance and I always to do wee performances for friends and family.
"There is also a plaque from an Australian on it, and it's a place where people who migrated to Australia and following generations meet and gather when they come back to Nairn.
"It was where it was meant to be, with the person it was meant to be. I never felt this way before – we were born so far apart but we were meant to find each other."
Sharing a love for running and the outdoors, the couple has been together for around 11 months.
When she said yes, Angus said he felt "beyond disbelief."
"It felt surreal, I am so excited," he said.
"I have been wanting to ask her for a while, I just know she was the one. She is such a caring, loving person – when we met, we got along like a house on fire.
"She always puts a smile on my face, inspires me and encourages me to be the best version of myself."
They said they hope to can tie the knot in summer next year, and the location for the wedding will probably be around Nairn or Forres.
