A friendship that spanned seven decades

GLEN ANIL resident, Mike Beattie and uMgeni Park resident, Peter Dove have enjoyed 71 years of friendship. They met at five-years-olds when they started schooling at Greenwood Park Primary School in 1949.

“We lived in the same neighbourhood and we grew up together. We went from Greenwood Primary School to Glenwood High School and then from there, Peter went to Johannesburg and I stayed in Durban for a while before I was transferred to Cape Town. We never lost contact,” said Beattie who worked in sales.

Also read: Friendship blossoms for more than 80 years in Durban North

Dove worked at a bank before moving to a career in electronics.

Beattie was a professional tennis coach before he went into sales and he and Dove played tennis for years at Coronation Tennis Club from their teens into their adulthood.

“We enjoyed being friends- going to parties and being together and having a few laughs,” said Beattie. “We always laugh a lot,” added Dove.

The friendship, which has spanned more than seven decades \has played a significant role in both Dove and Beattie’s lives.

Also read: Durban North ‘besties’ share 50 years of friendship

“This friendship means the world to me, you can’t even put it into words. No matter if he’s in England and I am in Hong Kong, if he phones me, I’m there, if I phone him, he’s there. We just have this bond,” said Beattie.

The friendship has also helped them through life’s tough times, said Dove.

“Life has had it’s ups and downs, but we always get through it,” he said.

“We’ll stay friends until the end of time,” added Beattie.

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