IT was love at first sight for Tony and Jane Moodley of Glen Anil, who met in 1969.

After three years, the couple tied the knot on 7 July and have been happily married for 50 years.

“A friend of mine introduced Jane to me. We became close friends, and later, our relationship grew more serious. We’ve celebrated many happy moments during our 50 years together, including starting our own business. We have five children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild,” said Tony.

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Tony hailed from Gillitts and Jane from Marianhill where they were married. They lived in a one-bedroom tin house at the start of their union and later moved to Overport and then Clare Estate.

They then purchased their home in Glen Anil in 1995 where they currently reside.

Their children are Cindy Naidoo, Belinda Govender, Charmane Mudary, Liden Moodley and Marlene Govender.

They opened Wags Dog-Grooming Parlour 37 years ago. Jane retired from the business about two years ago, but Tony is still hands-on in the daily running.

“Tony worked for a tyre company when we got married, and I worked at a dog parlour. When we moved to Phoenix, we open our own business which grew after moving to Glen Anil,” said Jane.

The children were involved in the business growing up, but each one has branched off into their own fields, except for their daughter Belinda, who lives in Auckland and also runs a dog-grooming parlour.

“Our entire family loves animals,” said Jane.

The Moodleys advice to couples is to persevere through the hard times and celebrate the good times.

“There will be ups and downs. Don’t give up. We have been through some life-changing moments, but we stuck together. We are grateful to God for blessing us with many successes and a happy marriage,” said Jane.

The couple enjoys gardening and watching soapies on Zee TV together.