40-year card captures the spirit of enduring friendship
Their story has unfolded over nearly 26 000 days, a vast span of time that holds a wealth of shared history.
Seventy years ago, when the world was still reeling from World War II, a friendship was forged between two teenage girls.
Today, their faces may tell the tale of lives well lived, but the glow of companionship remains undimmed in their eyes.
Now in their late-80s, Ms Edith Morley and Ms Eileen Robb are blessed with good health.
Both are still active, with Ms Morley playing table tennis and Ms Robb walking daily.
Their story has unfolded over nearly 26 000 days, a vast span of time that holds a wealth of shared history. If sometimes the timeline of their friendship blurs, they need only reach for a birthday card sent by Ms Morley to Ms Robb 40 years ago. At that time, they had already been friends for 30 years.
The card depicts a content woman smiling dreamily above the words, “Happy Birthday to my considerate, talented, charming, intelligent, magnificent friend”. Inside, are the words, “From your considerate, talented, charming, intelligent, magnificent friend”.
Ms Morley wrote, “Have a happy day”, and said Ms Robb should return the card to Edith on her own birthday, adding, “I am fighting inflation”.
And so began a charming tradition that continues today, with that same birthday card being written in twice every year for the past four decades. That’s 80 inscriptions and tangible proof of a rock-solid friendship that has not wavered.
Ms Robb received the card for her birthday on July 13, 1975. She sent it back to Ms Morley on her birthday, February 2.
A number of pages have been carefully added to the card over the years. The pages are filled with handwritten notes in different coloured ink, the years bringing small changes to the handwriting of the women.
Here and there, a graphic has been carefully stuck in, like a photo of a busty woman dressed in running gear, the year Ms Robb, who is a passionate walker, turned 70.
Ms Morley wrote, “Best wishes on reaching this 70th milestone and more power for the canter in the years ahead. Fondest love, Edith.”
Ms Morley has been a resident of the Rand Aid Association retirement village Thornhill Manor for 10 years and Ms Robb lives a short drive away. Both are widows but their husbands Mr Robert and Mr Hector were good friends and the couples spent many holidays together.
Ms Robb and Ms Morley would often buy the same dress, but in different colours. One year, they fell in love with a dress but the shop only had one in stock. Not defeated, the friends each paid half and the dress went from Ms Robb’s wardrobe to Ms Morley’s as needed.
The 70th anniversary of their friendship was celebrated in January this year, at a gathering of friends and family members. The girls met in 1945 at the Britzius Tutorial College in Johannesburg when they were 16 and 17 years of age.
The latest entry in the card was on July 13 this year, Ms Robb’s birthday, when Ms Morley wrote, “Hope this year brings lots of good health and happiness.”
The figure 31 776 is added after the inscription, which is a tradition entrenched by Ms Morley’s husband Robert, of calculating the number of days that each woman has been alive and recording it after each entry in the birthday card.
“Our card embodies the continuation of a wonderful friendship that has lasted so long,” said Ms Morley.
