GERALDINE (84) and Robert Cairnduff (85) celebrated their 60th anniversary (Diamond Anniversary) in Durban North last week.

Surrounded by their three daughters, Vanessa (Blevins), Debra (Cleland) and Carol (Musgrave) and their grandchildren, the couple toasted to their relationship which they said was about trust, understanding and resilience in the face of adversity.

The doting couple, who is deaf, met and fell in love at St Vincent’s School for the Deaf in Johannesburg.

Also read: La Lucia couple celebrates 60 years

They got married on September 3, 1966 at the Holy Trinity Parish on Musgrave Road.

At the time, Robert’s mother, Lily, made her daughter-in-law’s wedding dressing as well as the bridesmaids’ and flower girls’ outfits. Geraldine’s best friend Sally Cooper, who was also deaf and also went to the same school, was one of the bridesmaids.

They have five grandchildren (four granddaughters and a grandson). Their daughter Debra toasted to their milestone by saying they were an example to the entire family.

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“They really are an example to us all. Their love and their resilience in the face of all the challenges they’ve faced prove that. Growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, people weren’t sensitised to people living with disabilities. I remember accompanying them to the shops and people either not understanding my dad or my mom. As the eldest I became the communicator between them and my sisters.

“I learned how to sign through communicating with them. At school they weren’t allowed to use sign language and had to learn how to read lips which helped and hindered at the same time. It was so special celebrating their milestone as a family. My sister Carol travelled down from the UK to join us in the celebrations,” she said.

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