WRAF girl Kathy Mackay who has been decorated by the Malaysian government has revealed how she won her RAF policeman husband Stuart - as a bet.

"One of the other telephonists out in Singapore with me had been talking to him on duty and remarked that he was rather nice" Kathy, of Caerau Crescent, Newport laughed.

"When I saw him I agreed with her and said 'I bet you five dollars I get a date with him before you do'.

"I won, and 50 years later here we are."

Kathy - formerly Dymond - and husband Stuart marched up proudly to be presented with the Malayan veterans' medal by Colonel Tajri Alwi, military attache to the Malaysian embassy in London at a ceremony in Newport.

"We are grateful to the thousands of British service personnel who removed the communist threat facing my country and helped to win our freedom " Colonel Alwi said.

Mrs Mackay was the only woman among 300 ex-service personnel to be presented with the medal for those who served in Malaya and Borneo between 1957 and 1966.

When Senior Aircraftwoman Kathy arrived in Singapore as a telephonist at the giant RAF base at Changi she was unaware that RAF Police Corporal Stuart was returning form duty at RAF Butterworth further up the Malayan peninsula.

"Back at Changi I was on duty in the guardroom and struck up a conversation with a WRAF telephonist" said London-born Stuart who was only 18 when sent to the Far East in 1957.

"We went on a date and that was it.

"We were married on the base and the RAF sent pictures and a story to the Argus.

"Kathy left the service as most servicewomen did in those days when they got married and we came home in 1960."

After 22 years RAF service Stuart worked for the Royal Mint and as an RAF civilian mechanical transport instructor and in the RAF's education service.

Kathy worked as a civilian telephonist at RAF St Athan before their retirement to Kathy's home city.

The Malayan medal will be worn alongside the British General Service Medal both Stuart and Kathy have for their service during the Malayan crisis.

"We had comradeship, enormous possibilities for travel and a great pride in our particular service" Stuart says.

"Not forgetting romance" adds Kathy, the ex-airwoman with the winning ways.