Inyoni Creek Retirement Village stalwarts Neil and Marge Garden celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.
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The village residents, who have lived at Inyoni Creek since the first brick was laid, celebrated 60 years of love with family and friends on November 3.
During the couple’s 15 happy years at Inyoni Creek, both contributed to the success of the village and were hands-on in various endeavours.
Neil was an active member of the Inyoni Creek Village Committee for several years and, in 2010, was appointed a trustee of the RA Welfare Development Trust and director of the Rand Aid Association Management Board.
He studied the retirement village industry for 15 years, monitors competitor activity closely, is still a trustee and still attends Rand Aid Association’s Board Management meetings.
As an active member of Inyoni Creek’s Naked Chefs team between 2009 and 2020, Neil helped to provide lunch to between 140 and 180 individuals a month.
The recipients were from Elphin Lodge, Tarentaal and Inyoni Creek retirement villages and would receive food on the last Friday of each month at the Inyoni Creek clubhouse.
Marge, a key member of the team, would assist with door duty checking lunch receipts.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought the Naked Chefs programme to an abrupt end in February 2020.
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Marge was also on Inyoni Creek’s Village functions committee for a number of years.
The couple is also a founding member of Inyoni Creek Village’s Probus Club. Neil has presented talks at many such clubs in Gauteng.
Neil, a pensioner for 25 years, retired as a general manager of First National Bank after 42 years of service. During his career, he worked in London twice.
Between 1979 and 1981, the family lived in London before moving to Pietermaritzburg where they lived until 1983
Marge and Neil have three daughters, six grandchildren and a great-grandson.
“We have been able to travel extensively around the world, with a highlight being our trip to the Antarctic in 2008,” said Marge.
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