Durban North couple shares 65-year love story

PIETER and Lynette Van As’s relationship started with a bang. Literally.

The couple, who celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Thursday, December 5, met in then Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) in a small town called Choma.

Also read: uMhlanga prepares for a vibrant festive season

“I was working in the department store in Choma, and Pieter was working in the area as a land surveyor. Pieter came in to buy a fridge. We went out for supper on our first date after three weeks. The store subsequently burnt down when a customer let off a firework in the store,” she said.

Six months later, they were engaged and married shortly after. They spent the first few years of married life deep in the bush in the Kariba basin while Pieter was working on survey work for the Kariba Dam which was being built at the time.

“Our early married life was such an adventure. We lived in a bush camp in a caravan far from any civilisation. Our first two children were born during this time – first our son and then our daughter. The local tribes had never seen a white person and came from far, especially to see the babies,” said Pieter.

Lynette would go into the city to give birth, but she would become bored and return about a month later, babies in hand each time.

“People had to look twice to see if they were not hallucinating as the last thing you would expect to see in the bush is a baby being pushed in a pram,” she said with a laugh.

They also had a German shepherd named Cleo who protected the children as there were many creatures escaping from the rising waters.

“This is a period of our married life that we remember with great fondness. We moved to a town called Fort Victoria (Masvingo) in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) to join Pieter’s parents on a farm,” said Lynette.

Also read: Think red – donate blood at SANBS Mount Edgecombe

Their third child, a son, was born and they farmed on this farm for 29 years before moving to Mvuma where Pieter bred Bonsmara cattle, starting from scratch, by doing a programme of artificial insemination.

“We happily farmed in Mvuma for 30 years, but during that time, we tragically lost our youngest son. The situation in Zimbabwe became extremely difficult for farmers, and, after having the biggest part of the farm confiscated, by 2013, we had no choice but to leave behind our beautiful Schotland Farm and relocate to Durban North where we now live with my daughter,” said Pieter.

Now they spend their days relaxing – Pieter reading papers and Lynette gardening, sewing and baking.

“Our advice to young couples and the newly married is to sort disagreements out fast; don’t let them drag on. ‘For better, for worse’ means something! Don’t dwell on the ‘worse’,” they said.

The Van As’s will celebrate their milestone with a luncheon at home with family and friends. The next celebration is on Christmas Eve when Pieter turns 95.

For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook, X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here