A 50 year walz

Three sons, six and a half grandchildren (as one is still on its way), seven cats, two dogs and a lot of wonderful memories.

This is where Salt Rock locals, Dawn and Cecil Gore find themselves after 50 years of marriage.

When the couple woke up on January 31, the day of their anniversary, they simultaneously exclaimed “we made it”.

“Cecil had been counting down the days and could not wait for the big day to finally arrive,” said Dawn.

Before getting to the celebrations, let us rewind 50 years to when it all started.

As teenagers it was love at first sight for Dawn but it took the couple four years and a break-up to finally tie the knot.

They settled in Gauteng, where Cecil became the youngest mechanical engineer to be employed on the mines.

The two entrepreneurs have always worked together, be it in the engineering field or in the property market.

Approximately twenty years ago, they moved to Ballito for a good business opportunity in the property field.

“She is my boss. I learnt quickly that women are always right,” said Cecil.

Adventurous love

But couples that stay together also learn to have fun together.

In this case, having sailing adventures together has been one of the highlights of their married lives.

In 1999, Cecil built a 45 foot Catamaran called Solitaire, with six en-suite cabins.

Without any sailing experience, Cecil and Dawn hired a skipper and with their son Stephen, set sail for the Caribbean.

“We left Durban and sailed to St Helena, Barbados and finally ended in Tortuga, but we left our skipper in Brazil,” said Dawn.

Without a skipper and without any sailing qualifications, the Gore family sailed from the bottom of South America to Tortuga, where they had a buyer waiting for them.

He bought the yacht and loved it so much that he ordered a second one, Turquoise Dreams.

Cecil and Dawn had to set sail for the Caribbean one more time, this time with a skipper licence.

With Cecil’s love for building new things there is always a new project on the go.

“In 69 days, I built a house for Stephen’s parents in law, complete with a garden and pool,” he said.

After that, he built a house in Simbithi, which was later sold to rugby star Francois Steyn.

He also enjoys classic cars and has rebuilt an Austin Heely, and he is currently busy with a 1930’s sports coupe with a dickey seat.

Dawn helps Cecil with all of these projects, driving about to get supplies and helping with the finishing touches.

Although the couple had a few downs in the past 50 years, they consider themselves very fortunate to have each other.

“I always said there is no point for us to argue, because we will just make up again,” said Cecil.

The couple agree that a good sense of humour, tolerance, respect, love and communication are key elements for a successful marriage.

A good party is also important and it sounds like the 50th anniversary party at their favourite restaurant, Siggi’s, was an unforgettable celebration.

“About 50 guests arrived for the 1pm party, but we ended up dancing, singing and having fun until late that evening,” said Dawn.

“I must say a special thank you to Elmerie, the local singer at Siggis, who made the evening,” she said.

The highlight of the evening was when the classic, Fly Me to the Moon started playing and transported Dawn and Cecil back to their first wedding waltz.

“We always get so excited when we hear it, as that moment is recreated,” said Dawn.

The couple continues to waltz through life together, sometimes he is leading, sometimes she is, but they are always dancing together.