Springs couple celebrate half century of marriage
Hampie said he always liked Babs and knew she was special since the beginning.
Springs couple Hampie (76) and Babs Hechter (72) are celebrating 50 years of marriage.
The couple has known each other since 1969 when Hampie went to the same high school as Bab’s older brother, and the two became friends.
They briefly lost contact when Hampie went to the army.
In 1970, when Hampie returned from the army, the two started dating. By 1971, Hampie knew Babs was the one for him and he proposed to her.
Shortly after marriage, they moved into a house in Struisbult where they still live today.
“We just immediately clicked and got along well. We both loved to dance and went out dancing all the time,” recalled Babs fondly.
Hampie said he always liked Babs and knew she was special from the beginning.
Also read: Couple celebrates diamond anniversary
“There was always something about her that drew me in,” said Hampie.
He worked as a traffic officer for the Springs Traffic Department for most of his life until his retirement in 2017.
Babs worked at the electricity department as a typist until she retired in 1988 and became a housewife.
“I enjoyed my time as a housewife, and I became really good at baking and cooking,” said Babs.
According to Babs, their first years together were difficult.
They came from very different backgrounds. Hampie grew up with five brothers and had to learn how to be assertive and stand up for himself from a very early age, while Babs was the youngest child and grew up very sheltered by her parents.
“In the first couple of years we had to adapt to each other’s lifestyles,” said Babs. “But we accepted that and we were able to work it out and live peacefully.”
Financially they also struggled and Bab’s mom and dad moved into an apartment in the back of their house.
In addition, Babs’s brother’s son died in a car accident and his sons moved in with them.
“They became like children to us and kept us very busy, but they added a lot of joy to our lives,” she said.
Although they were very happily married, Babs and Hampie yearned to have a child of their own but were unable to.
Also read: Women’s Fellowship 80th Anniversary celebrations at the Trinity Methodist Church
In 1991, they adopted Chloe who would go on to enrich their lives in ways they couldn’t imagine.
“She was like a burst of sunshine that came into our lives,” said Babs.
“She was, and continues to be, the most wonderful child any parent could ask for. Our lives revolved around her and she gave it new meaning and purpose.”
The two live in harmony and enjoy doing their hobbies in each other’s company.
Hampie likes to work with his hands and is always busy in his garage, building beautiful trinkets that they display in their home or fixing things while Babs enjoys reading.
“Sometimes we would just sit in the living room together, quietly absorbed in our own hobbies. We take things easy and that’s how it has always been,” said Babs.
The couple agrees that the key to a good marriage is communication and talking things over whenever a problem or conflict arises.
“I think many couples are too quick to give up when things get difficult nowadays,” said Babs.
Follow us on our social media platforms:
