It was probably an ordinary day for many but for Jaap (69) and Ricka (69) van Nieuwenhuizen Saturday (March 18) marked their golden wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe met in 1965 and although it was love at first sight for me I had to keep trying several times to get her attention,\u201d said Jaap.<\/p>
\u201cShe used to pass by my house with her then boyfriend and I would say to her \u2018hello blonde\u2019 to which she would reply \u2018leave me alone\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer reaction never discouraged me because I continued greeting her every time I saw her.\u201d<\/p>
Ricka said Jaap\u2019s persistence eventually convinced her to talk to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a time when he told me that he was only greeting, and not asking to marry me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe laughed it off and started talking more often soon after that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jaap told the GCN that he was wild as a young man, but this all changed when Ricka started showing an interest in him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I saw I had a chance to be with her I changed my ways,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more I spoke and spent time with him the more I realised what a good man he is and that is what attracted me to him,\u201d said Ricka.<\/p>\n
The Dinwiddie couple got married on March 18, 1967 at the Dutch Reformed Church in Germiston.<\/p>\n
The couple have plenty of things in common but say that two of their favourites are that they were born in the same month and in the same hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are the same age, both born in September and at the Kinross Nursing Home in Germiston,\u201d said Ricka.<\/p>\n
Jaap and Ricka have four children: Ria Joubert, Hendrick van Nieuwenhuizen, Hester Marais and David van Nieuwenhuizen.<\/p>\n
They also have nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n
In honour and celebration of their anniversary the couple renewed their vows at the Old Apostolic Church of Africa in Hazeldene on Sunday.<\/p>\n
When asked about the secret to their long-lasting marriage they both agreed that they trust each other, trust in God and never go to bed angry with each other.<\/p>\n
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