BRIAN Frances and Edna Cecilia Greene (both 91) recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and say their belief that marriage is a spiritual covenant between the bride, the groom and God is what has kept them together all these years.

The couple got married on September 7, 1953, at the Malvern Catholic Church, also known as the Church of the Blessed Sacrament after having met at a Christmas party as 19-year-olds at a friend’s house.

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“That sacred covenant is what has kept us through good and bad times. There were not a lot of hard times, but we got through everything,” said Edna. They also have never had screaming matches or shouted at each other, Edna said.

Brian’s parents had migrated to South Africa from Northern Ireland, while Edna is also of Irish heritage, but she was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (later renamed Zimbabwe).

The pair lives in Warner Beach, and when the SUN visited them, their only child, Sean (63), had dropped by for a visit. They have lived in the area since 2011, and Sean believes that living in Warner Beach has prolonged their lives because the air is much cleaner than in Gauteng.

Brian worked as a credit manager for many years at Levinsons, and after retiring, he worked as a proofreader at one of Caxton’s Johannesburg branches. Edna worked as a secretary and personal assistant at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, before retiring and working for her son.

The couple has three grandchildren through their son and six great-grandchildren.