Pienaars celebrate golden milestone

HANS (JJ) Pienaar said he met the love of his life in a dream two weeks before he laid eyes on her and said 50 years later, he is still as in love with her as the first time their eyes met.

On 6 March Hans and Eira Pienaar from Westville will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary.

“Two weeks before I met Eira I had a dream about her. I then met her at the book shop she worked at in September 1964. On 14 November 1964 I proposed,” he said.

They married at the Benoni Baptist Church in 1965 and spent their honeymoon on vacation in Durban.

In July 1966 their first child, son Ali, was born, followed by Ursula (Oosthuizen) in January 1969 and Chantell (van Deventer) in October 1971. They are the proud grandparents of four granddaughters and two grandsons. They will celebrate their anniversary with family and friends.

For Hans his marriage to Eira has been fantastic: “My motto for a good marriage is love, communication and trust. All of which I have with Eira. She’s a wonderful mother and grandmother.”

Eira concurred with Hans: “In 50 years we’ve only had one fight. I would never change him or swap him. He is my one true love.”

They said other factors that contributed to their successful marriage included understanding, adding that they have also been very family orientated.

Their grandson, Brandon Pienaar, said: “I can only hope to have such a wonderful and steadfast marriage one day. They have been wonderful role models.”