Hillcrest couple enjoys life together

CLIVE and Sandra Channell of Hillcrest will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary on Friday, 29 January.

The couple met in 1963 and were married in 1966 at All Saints Church, Bellair. They were both involved in this parish, having taught Sunday school and being involved in the youth group.

They settled in Brighton Beach, where they brought up their three children – Brett, Colette and Lisa. The children all attended schools in the area, where both parents were active on the school committees.

Clive worked for various companies – the Durban Electricity Department, Mobil, Valvoline and the Midas Group – from where he retired. Sandra was employed by Unilever and she retired after more than 40 years in the accounts division.

Both Clive and Sandra enjoyed keeping fit and ran the Comrades Marathon, with Clive also completing a number of Midmar swims. During their running years, they were part of the group that started the Harlequins Running Club on the Bluff.

Another of their activities was being part of the mime group, The Supremes, who put on shows to raise funds for various charities and schools.

All three of their children are married and they have four grandchildren.

Since retiring, Clive and Sandra moved to Hillcrest, where they enjoy gardening, walking and visiting the Drakensberg for mini holidays.

The couple said their love of travel has seen them visit many places, some of their favourites being Edinburgh, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver.

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, they are spending three months in California visiting their daughters and families. Their daughter, Colette, surprised them with a special treat for this big occasion – a week’s holiday on the island Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

Their advice for a long marriage is to enjoy life, laugh a lot and to always be there for each other in both difficult and good times.