From love letters to a quiet Helderkruin retirement
Happy 65th wedding anniversary to Etienne and Yvonne Avenant
Young couples of today will never understand the romantic incantation of the love letter, nor the burst of delirium when opening a freshly delivered item in the post.
Etienne and Yvonne Avenant celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary in their warm Helderkruin sunroom, 6 April. Through persistence and patience and with the help of providence and predestination, Etienne Avenant would turn a chance encounter with his future bride into a livelong adventure with a friend and soulmate.
“I met Yvonne on 16 December 1954 at Kloof Falls,” recited Etienne, the date etched into the subconscious of the remarkably lucid 94-year-old. “I thought it was just a holiday romance. I didn’t think I would ever see him again,” countered 84-year-old Yvonne nonchalantly, who was on holiday with her family at the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve outside Durban.
Yvonne would return to Potchefstroom where she had just finished Standard 10, but a smitten Etienne would put his feelings to paper, and via the postbox their infatuation would grow. “He even sent me money for stamps but I spent it on shoes,” joked the humorous Yvonne. After many visits and an evolution of their love, the couple were married in Krugersdorp in 1956 and would settle in Florida, with Roodepoort being home ever since.
The couple have three children with their son living on the East Rand and their two daughters having emigrated to Australia. Sadly, they don’t get to see their seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, but both are happy to still breathe the South African air. “We miss them but we are grateful they are safe,” said Yvonne.
Despite his advancing years, Etienne is said to be a wizard in the kitchen, with Yvonne passing time with the age-old wonders of reading, knitting and sewing. Yvonne and Etienne wished to thank everyone who contributed to their many memories, saying, “We want to thank all our old friends for their companionship during these times. Every day is a gift from God. We have been incredibly graced by God’s mercy.”
