AN elderly couple, originally from Port Elizabeth, but who have spent many years living in Fort Beaufort, relayed their fairytale love story of more than six decades ago to Komani-Karoo Express this past Saturday.
A still radiant Cathleen Tidbury (81) and Hilton Tidbury (83) recalled the mysterious circumstances that brought them together when they were only 15 and 17 years old respectively.
Sitting in the lounge in one of their triplets’ homes in Fort Beaufort, they excitedly relived the first day they met in the mid–1950s.
The then 15-year-old Cathleen, who was in a convent in Grahamstown, preparing to be a nun, was sent home for two weeks to say goodbye to her family before taking her final vows. It was during this period that she first set her eyes on Hilton and it was love at first sight.
“I was completely bowled over by this handsome man,” Cathleen said, still with a twinkle in her eyes.
They courted for five years and were married on February 7, 1959. At that time, Hilton was the manager of a band called the Manhattans.
“We played for years in practically every hall in Port Elizabeth,” Tidbury said. On January 9, 1960, the couple received the surprise of their lives when Cathy gave birth to three male triplets in the Sanford maternity section of the Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital.
According to the couple, it was the first multiple birth the hospital had had in nine years.
The couple made the headlines and this remarkable achievement was published in every single newspaper in the country and also aired over most radio stations.
“I later went back to the convent and showed them that God wanted me to bless my country with three young men, rather than becoming a nun,” Tidbury said.
Cathleen recalled having read at the time about the singer, Pat Boone, who had four daughters and so much desired to have a son.
He was touring South Africa at the time and on one specific day, she was at the airport with the triplets. Surprisingly, her name was called over the intercom and minutes later, Boone held one of the triplets in his arms.
Delray Turner, the Tidbury’s only daughter, was born on exactly the same date as the triplets, four years later. According to Cathy, she lived in fear of another multiple birth as she had an aunt who had three sets of twins in three successive years.
The Tidburys moved to Fort Beaufort when the triplets were 13 years old for health reasons. Here the family ran the famous Pondorosa steakhouse and at the time, Cathleen worked at Martello Pharmacy and also managed a clothing shop before they moved back to Port Elizabeth.
Of the triplets, Gary passed away at the age of 34, while Wayne and Mark will soon be celebrating their 60th birthdays.
