Identical twins still dressing the same at 70
They were re-united for their 70th birthday, on July 21.
Twins Lyn Hood and Lawvel Wall may be 70 years old but they are so bubbly and definitely a pair, that the term “the girls” fits as snugly as their intertwined hands.
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Although they are separated by an ocean, their bond is unmistakable and their oneness as strong as when they shared the same womb.
Lyn lives at Rand Aid’s Inyoni Creek village and Lawvel in Australia.
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They were re-united for their 70th birthday, on July 21, 2017, when Lawvel arrived to spend a month with Lyn.
With their penchant for dressing the same, sporting the same hairstyles and wearing similar accessories, they draw attention wherever they go.
Despite the obviousness of the answer, they don’t get tired of the repeatedly asked question: Are you twins? Instead, they answer yes with sparkly eyes and wide smiles.
As they talk, they both unconsciously rub their hands together; their feet are crossed the same and their voices are very similar. Their parents always dressed them identically and when they were old enough to choose their own wardrobes, they did not fight for their own identities but instead continued to embrace their oneness and dress alike.
They were due to marry on the same day too, but Lawvel’s husband had a job offer in Holland and so their wedding day was brought forward.
Growing up in Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia and Rhodesia, the Wright twins had a happy childhood. Their mom carried twins three times but tragically miscarried one set and gave birth to one healthy and one stillborn baby with the other.
The twins spent their first years of schooling in the same class and when it was decided that Lawvel should skip a grade, she initially refused to move without her sister and went to her regular class as usual. On the rare occasions when they fight, music restores the peace, said the twins. “But we have never been anything except close,” said Lawvel.
As with many twins, there are a number of co-incidences and similarities in Lyn and Lawvel’s lives. Both have three children and both had a laatlammetjie. Their husband’s first wives were both called Rosemary and both died of cancer. Lawvel’s mother-in-law recently died of dementia and Lyn’s mother-in-law is living with dementia. Both girls had careers as executive secretaries. They sprained ankles at the same time, had their appendix out around the same time and often feel each others’ pain.
“Whatever happened to the one twin, seemed to happen to the other,” said Lyn.
However, while Lawvel paints, Lyn confesses that she cannot draw a straight line. Her creativity is expressed through jewellery-making, a pastime Lawvel introduced her to.
Although they have not spent much of their adult life in the same geographical location, this had done nothing to lessen their love for each other. Today, thanks to Whatsapp and Skype, daily communication is a comforting reality.
“Being a twin taught me how to bond on an emotional level, to love someone deeply,” said Lawvel, while Lyn added that she cannot imagine her life without her twin sister.
When death does claim one, the twins have made provision that that sister’s ashes be stored until the other passes away. Then their ashes are to be mixed and sprinkled on Table Mountain so that they can spend eternity together somewhere beautiful in Africa.
