Still sweethearts 50 years later

They often say the best relationships are those that started as friendships. This is especially true for Christine and Thinus Benadé, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year.

The couple met when they were in school and eventually became friends. “Two or three years after school, we got married and we got on with life. We have two boys and three grandchildren,” Christine began.

She said they lived a very nomadic life before they decided to have children, “We moved about 14 times in four years. From a tent to a room to a caravan … it was very interesting. Then when we had children, we realised we could no longer live that way so we bought a place in Florida. After that we bought a place in Weltevreden Park where we lived for 28 years.” Their life of adventure continued when they lived in a number of retirement villages but they hope their next move will be the last one. Thinus, who picked up woodworking as a hobby, is building the two of them a tiny house.

They own a property in Honeydew where they not only work together but also host the Urban Market and run the quaint coffee shop, Not Bread Alone. Thinus has his woodworking business and Christine runs an antique shop. She admitted that she was not one for big plans and was never bothered about the fuss of a wedding. “One day he said to me, he is going to ask my dad if he could marry me because it is inconvenient; he worked in Pretoria and I was in Johannesburg. I thought, well everybody is getting married. I was sure about marrying him, we had a good life. We came from the same background. Everything in our life was simple.”

The couple admitted that they were complete opposites and that having separate hobbies is one of the things that has kept them together. “If we sat at home together all day we would probably kill each other,” Christine joked. Thinus added “There’s a good saying my grandmother used; when the body is idle the mind gets full of rot. We take each day as it comes.”

Thinus said that is what got them to 50 years of matrimony. February is the month of love and for many couples Valentine’s Day is a day of celebration. Thinus and Christine, however, do not believe in or celebrate Valentine’s Day. “I think all those things such as Valentine’s Day, are just money-making machines. There’s no value to it.” Christine interjected, “But we don’t hold it against people who celebrate it. We just don’t do it.” They chose a low-key celebration for their 50th wedding anniversary last year with just close friends, cake and some tea.

The couple, who are both 71, count a few nice holidays, travelling abroad and the occasional boat trip as some of the highs in their marriage. Their advice for young couples is short and sweet, “Don’t give up. Nothing in life is easy. Everything requires effort. It is really about pulling through in whatever you do, even your job.”