He was so captivated by her that he just had to carry her schoolbag home, once forgetting his own bag at school and having to climb over the wall during the night to retrieve it.
It is no wonder that several decades later, Ronnie and Hester Schoeman from Summerstrand, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on August 11.
From their union, two daughters were born, Cassandra, who is married to Selwyn Wiggill, and Suzette, wife to Eugene Pike.
The couple also has three grandchildren: Caitlin, Joshua and Wesley. It was love at first sight for Ronnie (82) when he first laid eyes on Hester (81) at Lawson Brown High School when they were both 14 years old, back in 1954.
According to one of their daughters, Cassandra Wiggill, Hester had lovely legs that Ronnie couldn’t resist so he was definitely the one that made the first move.
After they started dating, the two didn’t wait long before tying the knot in their very early twenties and after 60 years of marriage, they have definitely had their fair share of challenges that they managed to overcome because they faced it together.
Ronnie has been battling health issues, including a stroke, two back surgeries and various incidents of blood clots.
“After the stroke, it was doubtful whether he would ever function normally again, but with my mom’s care and determination, he is back to normal,” Wiggill said.
“My mother miscarried her first baby which was very sad and traumatic for them. Times were often hard and they faced many financial challenges when the children were small.
“They did not have a car for a long time and had to walk everywhere with two small children and a pram.
“Budgets were tight and she sold various things, including make-up on a part-time basis to supplement their income. She also knitted a lot and made the children’s jerseys,” Wiggill added.
When asked to share special memories from their wedding day, Hester said that she remembers getting married at 15:00 and walking into the church as the bells rang because she doesn’t like to be late.
“My mom walked me down the aisle as my dad had passed away. I remember that we were booked into the Sydenham Hotel for the night, but left to go home as we had our furniture at home in crates which had been delivered but not unpacked yet, and we were too curious to wait,” she said.
Ronnie added that he remembers their two mothers doing the catering for the wedding and how a lady that they knew well stole some food from the kitchen, including a leg of pork.
“There were 350 guests at the wedding and the cake had four tiers. The groom and groomsmen wore a top hat and tails,” Ronnie said.
When asked how they managed to maintain their marriage for so long, Hester said that you have to give and take and never go to bed angry with each other.
“We share everything and do everything together. Love and respect are important to us both,” Ronnie said.
“We always hold hands when we go out together. It’s to prevent Hester from falling over,” he added.
Their advice to young married couples is not be selfish but be accommodating towards one another and help each other.
Wiggill added that her parents are the biggest supporters of their daughters and grandchildren and never miss out on an opportunity to bring out the proverbial “brag book.”
“We know that they always have our backs and have taught us what it means to be a close family and what love looks like,” she said.
