Love that lasts the ages
Joan and Frank Kiepiel, of Hillcrest, recently celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary.
HILLCREST residents, Joan and Franciszek (Frank) Kiepiel, shared a lifetime of memories on Saturday, 9 August as they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary.
The couple met in Lincoln, England, after the Second World War, when Joan was 22 and Frank was 26. He served in the Polish squadron of the Royal Air Force, flying and maintaining Lancaster planes and Joan was training to become a teacher. Their first encounter was at a dance, where the debonair young man asked Joan to dance. “It was not love at first sight,” said Joan. But, as fate would have it, it was not the last time that the couple would interact.
“He knew my parents before he met me. They took in chaps from the war who did not have a home and offered them accommodation. We met up again when I went home from college. My friend and I also often attended the popular dance halls and I would occasionally meet him at a dance. The two of us would meet in town and go for walks, tea or a dance and got to know each other,” said Joan.
Frank and Joan exchanged their vows in 1947, two years after the end of the Second World War, at a church in Newark-on-Trent in England. A year later the couple was blessed with the birth of their first born, Julian. Four years after Julian’s birth the Kiepiels moved to South Africa. Their move was motivated by the prospects of a better future, as Frank, a mechanical engineer, was offered a well paying job in Pietermaritzburg. Later, he launched his own business.
Joan worked as a teacher at the Scottsville Primary School and at the Bisley Park Primary School. Before her resignation, Joan was appointed as the acting principal at Bisley. The Kiepiel’s daughter, Kazalette Pike, was born eight years after they moved to South Africa. “The birth of our children are definitely our fondest memories. We were both so happy. They are our treasures and have been wonderfully supportive. The two of them have also blessed us with four grandchildren,” said Joan.
According to the couple, the secret to their marriage has been communication. “When we disagree we talk about it. We have also learned to pick our battles,” said Joan. The Kiepiels celebrated their anniversary with close family and friends.
