Morningside couple celebrate 60 years of love

BRIAN and Ria Nelson enjoyed a love-filled celebration for their 60th wedding anniversary on Saturday, June 10, at the Bill Buchanan Association for the Aged social club, surrounded by friends and family ahead of their official wedding anniversary on June 15.

The Nelsons say they met through mutual friends and were inseparable ever since. “We met through friends in 1962, and then six months later, we got engaged; a year later we got married,” said Brian.

“Our wedding was on June 15, 1963. To be perfectly honest, the whole thing was just brilliant; everybody was there; the decorations were lovely. As I bride, I think you’re all just in a daze, but I loved my wedding day,” said Ria, reminiscing about their wedding day.

“We were very young when we got married, and I think at that time, there’s a euphoria about it. At the time, I was 24 years old, and she was 19,” said Brian.

Ria says their first child was born a year after their wedding. “Our daughter’s name is Debra, and she was born in 1964, and our son, Dean, was born in 1967.

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“For our 60th wedding anniversary celebration, our daughter came down from the UK and arranged the entire thing, and my twin sister came up from Cape Town. It took place last Saturday, and we had 30 people attend, and it went off great,” said Ria.

Seventy-nine-year-old Ria says that love is not the only important aspect of a relationship. “Love’s a very strong word – there’s attraction and there are mutual interests, and once you get married, I think it’s just respect for other – giving the other person space to do what they need. You can’t be together 24 hours of the day, and you have to be prepared to talk to each other and talk things through.”

Eighty-four-year-old Brian says that although he and his wife come from different backgrounds, they were able to find a balance in their lives. “Ria is Dutch; I’m South African, and we come from totally different backgrounds. It was very important for me to ask for her father’s permission to marry her because in those days, that was the honourable thing to do, and it still is. The most important thing is that we are friends. I can talk to Ria about anything, and she can talk to me about anything – it’s important to always try to be open with each other.”

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Ria says that they travelled the world together. “We also come from two different industries. I worked at the airport with various airlines, and Brian was in the electrical engineering field, so we were always travelling, all over, with the children, so they grew up international children. We never ever had a holiday apart, and I was able to travel with my best friend.”

Overall, Ria and Brian agreed that there have been ups and downs, but the milestone of 60 years together is one that they are proud to have made it to, and most importantly, they made it there together.

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