Number 05: This photograph was taken in 1981 . Ray and l met through mutual friends Marion and Stephen Rom when we all four went, with some others for a hike in Newlands Forest.

We did not immediately hit it off as Ray was working for Eskom and me being a ‘ liberal arts lefty’ was not into the Nuclear Power that Eskom was thinking of introducing.  But Ray also arranged me a temporary job at Eskom doing graphic design for about 2 months before l went on my ‘gap year’ to  a Kibbutz (Alonim) in Israel in February 1982 and we drove together from town to Brackenfell each day.

We were friends for a while and then together as a couple for a couple of months before I left for Israel.  While there, we were in constant contact via “snail mail”  letters!. My Mom really liked Ray and invited him for Friday night dinners when l was away. As Ray was a Springbok Scout, she invited him to my brother Sascha’s 11th birthday party: Boys out in nature somewhere.

While in Israel I applied for a job as an art teacher at the American School and got the job. But on speaking to Ray l decided instead to return to Cape Town. We got engaged within a month after l returned from Israel . The first time that l met Ray’s parents was when we drove to Port Elizabeth after our engagement. His Dad, Solly, had had a heart attack and I met him for the first time when he was in Hospital in Port Elizabeth! 

We had a wonderful wedding at the Baxter Theatre less than 2 months later on 16 January 1983. I had got a job as the art teacher at Weizmann School so we managed to have a 1- day honeymoon at the Lanzerac in Stellenbosch, before l started my new job and life as a married woman. 

Written by Sheryl