Brian Russell and his wife Lynne recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
The couple met and became friends in 1936 when they both lived in Parktown West, attending Parkview Junior and Senior Schools.
On January 29, 1955, Brian who was then a sub deacon and church councillor and Lynne, who ran the Sunday School, were married in a Nuptial Mass held at St Georges Church, Parktown.
They purchased an acre and a half stand in Essexwold and built a small house which they moved into in December the same year.
Brian took up brick laying and added a double garage and outbuildings, surrounding wall, a pool, pool-house and expanded the house as the family grew with the addition of three daughters and a son. In addition to the family, the household also grew to include a sheep, which helped mow the large lawn area, a horse which the family enjoyed riding and a mini tractor for mowing the extensive pavement and lawn.
A furrow, diverted from the Jukskey River in Giloolly’s Farm, ran through the garden and onwards, to feed a farm further down.
Essexwold, Senderwood and St Andrews were then located in what was known as Peri-urban Areas, but in the late 1960s they were incorporated into the village of Bedfordview.
Brian stood in an election to fill a vacancy on the council, which commenced a period of 13 years as a councillor. During this time, he and his wife were elected as mayor and mayoress.
Brian subsequently served as the chairman of the management committee. Fulfilling these positions was considered an honour and service to the community, and was unpaid except for a small travelling allowance. Owing to this, Brian had to continue earning a living and this led to a busy life.
Lynne wrote a weekly column for the Bedfordview Edenvale News, which kept residents informed of happenings in the village. She also held a yoga class in their pool-house.
As their daughters Dale, Bev and Mandy completed their education, they moved to more convenient spots in Johannesburg. When the couple’s son, Vaughan, was drafted to fulfil his compulsory military service, their home was sold. The property now has no less than five homes on it.
The couple moved to a smaller property in Doris Street, Kensington, with a beautiful view.
Brian was appointed as a representative of South Africa’s minerals and energy sector in the United States (USA) and they moved into a home in Washington DC for six years. Vaughan and Mandy moved back home to tend to the family home.
On Brian’s retirement, and their return to South Africa, the couple moved back to Bedfordview. Six and a half years later they moved into a three bedroom house at the Inyoni Creek Retirement Village, which is run by the Rand Aid Association.
Brian recently retired after 64 years as a Parish Minister at St Margaret’s Anglican Church. They consider themselves as extremely fortunate in having four married children, all now in their fifties, and eight grandchildren in South Africa. They all come together for important family occasions.
The couple is proud of their three eldest grandchildren, a chartered accountant, a Masters Degree in architecture student and a grandson with an LLB who won a the South African round of a debating contest organised by the International Economic Law and Policy Foundation. He was then voted the best orator at the World Contest held in Geneva, the reward for which was a full bursary to study for his LLM at Barcolona University.
