Archive of The Telegraph article, "Births, deaths and the first civil partnership", 6 December 2005

Births, deaths and the first civil partnership

By Jonathan Petre

(Filed: 06/12/2005)

John Walker and Ghani Jantan are making history in more ways than one. Not only are they part of the first wave to take advantage of the new civil partnership law, but they were the first couple to record the fact in the print version of this newspaper.

The Daily Telegraph has been carrying notices of births, deaths, and marriages on its pages for more than a century.

(Picture of Ghani Jantan and John Walker)

But yesterday a new entry - no doubt the first of many - appeared at the top of the Social page, announcing the intention of Mr J P D Walker and Mr A G B Jantan to register as civil partners.

"I was very proud that we were the only names in your newspaper," said Mr Walker. "Lots of people have rung us up since, many of them to say just that."

Mr Walker, 54, said that he and Mr Jantan, 41, "completely disagreed with all this pink, gay stuff", and were planning a discreet ceremony on Dec 22 near their Kensington home.

Mr Walker, an Old Harrovian and former Cavalry officer who has retired from the oil industry, met Mr Jantan, a computer executive, when he was working in Singapore 12 years ago. The couple have lived in London for the last two years.

Mr Walker said that he felt the civil partnership ceremony would "cement and complete" their relationship, and that he was fully supported by his family.

"I think it will be one of the greatest days of my life," he said.

His elder brother, a Church of England vicar, will be acting in a private capacity as one of the witnesses.

=See also=
 * Same-sex marriage in Singapore

=References=
 * Jonathan Petre, "Births, deaths and the first civil partnership", The Telegraph, 6 December 2005,.

=Acknowledgements=

This article was written by Roy Tan.