East couple celebrates 50 years of romance

Having celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss on 9 August, Bruce and Tish Harvey from Olympus say they “feel more connected and in love than ever before”.

“Marriages can and do work – we’re living proof of it,” Bruce told Rekord.

“Our recipe for a successful and long-lasting relationship is based on three pillars. Firstly, a strong religion with good religious principles. Secondly, copious amounts of love and respect for each other and thirdly, a huge sense of humour.”

The couple met in Cradock in January 1967 when Bruce was transferred to the town to work as a bank clerk. He was completely English-speaking and could barely understand Afrikaans, never mind speak it.

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“On my second day, I was given the task of teller. This was nerve-wracking as 95% of our customers were Afrikaans-speaking.

“One of my clients was a lady from the chemist who made a deposit. She and I started talking, although it was challenging to do so. Before I knew it, she had invited me to dinner with her family.

“She told me she had three daughters, saying something along the lines of ‘Ek het drie dogters, en soek mans vir hulle,’ one of her daughters was Tish, and the rest is history, as they say.”

On Christmas Day that year, Bruce popped the question and even had to ask Tish’s father for her hand in marriage in Afrikaans. At the young age of 22, the couple happily got married on 9 August 1969.

As for the biggest highlight of their marriage, Bruce emphasizes one word in particular: “togetherness”.

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“We always did everything together. We played a lot of bowls, we supported each other in our respective interests and hobbies. On our 25th wedding anniversary, we renewed our vows. We had a lot of fun by trying to recreate our first wedding day. As far as possible we invited all the guests that attended our original marriage, especially the best men and bridesmaids. The whole lot were there,” he explained.

Bruce and Tish’s anniversary was celebrated with a lovely lunch, surrounded by their family and friends. Here’s to proof that love overcomes everything – including language barriers!

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