When the now 86-year-old Tony Rautenbach met Mary during a hockey match more than 65 years ago, he knew that she was the girl he wanted to marry.
Mary, also 86 now, had her reservations however. “When I first met him I did not really like him that much. When he told me that he was going to marry me, I just laughed, because we were very different and had nothing in common. I was a Roman Catholic English girl and he was a Dutch Reformed Afrikaans boy!”
But Tony did not allow Mary’s hesitation to stop him from being with the girl of his dreams and he kept on trying until he managed to secure a first date. “And believe me, I made sure that I had a date every week after that!” he laughed.
The relationship grew and was strengthened by the fact that they played hockey together at the Florida Hockey Club. To make things just a tad more difficult Tony had to pass another test. He said,”Mary’s mom was married to a Rautenbach and she first had to check that we weren’t related before she gave us her blessing!”
After about two years of dating, Tony proposed. “When he proposed, I was not surprised, because I had accepted the fact that we would marry one day.” Tony echoed this sentiment, and added, “I knew that we belonged together, and had no doubts that we would be married.”
They were married on 6 February 1954 and are still very happy and in love. “When we walk through the shopping mall, we still hold hands like two young lovebirds,” Mary said.
The couple has two daughters, four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren and even though they all live overseas, they see each other on a regular basis. Tony said, “We attended the births of all our great-grandchildren. We are a very close-knit family and love to spend time together.”
Their advice on how to have a long and happy marriage is simple. “Both parties should be prepared to give and take and always be fair. Compromise is not a bad thing and the most important thing is to never go to bed angry.”
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