PINETOWN couple, Stephen and Joy De Wet celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Wednesday 17 December.
The duo met in 1949. Stephen was a land surveyor at the time working in Stanger when he met Joy’s family. They invited him for tea and that’s when he met the woman of his dreams.
Joy worked as an office worker in Durban. She said she didn’t know how they pulled it off – they met, were engaged and married at St Paul’s Cathedral in Durban on 17 December 1949, all in the same year.
The couple were blessed with four children, Greg, Irene, Karen and Andrew. They now have nine grandchildren and one great grandchild, Tanith.
Stephen recalled when he met Joy. He said she was an attractive girl who had supported and loved him all through their married life.
Joy smiled and said he was a good friend and they could talk about anything. “He was always supportive as a husband and father and wasn’t a bad looking chap either,” she said.
During her wedded life, Joy enjoyed sewing especially embroidery, which she said has gone to many parts of the world.
Stephen on the other hand was a great sportsman – he played hockey for Natal and South Africa in his youth and he is also the soul survivor of the 1948 Springbok team. However, theses days he enjoys planting veggies.
They believe the secret to their long-lasting marriage is continuously working at it. They agreed that most marriages always had their ups and downs, but the trick is to sort out the problems straight away and not let them linger.
Stephen and Joy also said they received immense support from their children especially now in their old age, and want to thank them for that.
They plan to celebrate their special occasion with their daughter Karen and son-in-law, Kelvin Johnson.
“We recently settled at The Village in Pinetown and are looking forward to reaching our 70th milestone,” said Stephen.
wedding anniversary on Wednesday 17 December.
17 December 1949.
