A rare celebration for this couple
Caryl and Trevor Knell were introduced by friends 53 years ago, and have remained together ever since.
“In 1962, my brother-in-law invited Trevor to be the best man at his wedding and he wanted to introduce him to all the bridesmaids, and I was one of them,” said Caryl (68).
“I was 16 and Trevor was 18, we dated for a while, and got married almost three years later.”
“When we married, we didn’t have much, we moved a few times, but improved ourselves and our situation and took care of the children, but time has flown,” said Trevor (71).
“When you talk about 50 years, it feels like yesterday, it’s been a jam-packed journey, but there’s still more to come.”
Trevor and Caryl celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 24 at Sun City with some of their close family.
“You change a lot in 50 years, both in looks and as a person, but we are the first couple in our close-knit family to reach 50 years of marriage,” said Caryl.
They were married in the Brakpan Methodist Church by the late Rev Viv Harris, in 1965.
Trevor was born in Benoni, Caryl in Springs and they have lived in Benoni for most of their married life.
In 1974, before the kids went to school, Trevor got a job as site manager in Swakopmund, where they stayed for two years.
“The kids learned German faster than we did,” he said.
They also stayed in Beyers Park for 12 years, but continued working in Benoni.
Caryl was in college when they met, and started working as a legal secretary soon after.
She didn’t work for about 18 years, to take care of the children, but returned to it, only retiring earlier this year.
Trevor said he would have become an accountant, but preferred working in a factory, so he went into the rubber industry.
He has worked in an office for the past 25 years, though not at the same company, as the one he started with, failed in 2003.
Trevor has hopped between different companies since then, saying “the past 15 years have been more exciting than the past 30 odd years.”
They live in a flat now, as it offers better security, they have experienced several house break-ins while living in houses.
Their first son was born after five years of marriage and their family has now grown to include three sons and seven grandchildren.
“We don’t know why we fell in love, it just happened, marriage has its ups and downs, but together you get through them,” said Caryl.
“I fell in love with a slim, tall girl with long brown hair, and married her,” said Trevor.
“But now we have both changed, because married life goes through phases, first starry eyed lovers, then you become parents, then grandparents, the focus wasn’t always on us, the family we raised together is an important factor in why we stayed together for so long.”
