They say two is company and three is a crowd, but in Gqeberha there is an awesome foursome who have remained lifelong friends after making history when they matriculated 60 years ago.
The four friends were the only pupils in matric in 1962, shortly after the grade was introduced at St Thomas High School in Gelvandale, and they have celebrated their matric reunion together ever since.
On Sunday, on their 60th reunion, Valentine Brink, Peter Roberts, Gregory Ownhouse and Lawrence Augustine were full of laughs and gratitude when they reminisced about “the good old days”.
The day was commemorated with a church service at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Thereafter, the men and their wives went out for lunch.
Though the men are now all in their late 70s and admittedly a tad less agile than they were in their teens, they are grateful that the years in between have allowed them to share in each other’s growth, and cemented their brotherhood.
They agree that because there were only four of them in the classroom, it was near impossible to slack off during lessons or not to do their homework, especially under the watchful eye of the Catholic nuns who taught them at the time.
Their shared all-time favourite memory is when they took a train to Cape Town for a holiday.
They even bought matching outfits to wear on the trip.
Ownhouse, 79, burst out laughing when he was asked to describe what they were like as 18-year-old schoolboys.
“Who do you think was the naughty one in the group? They will all probably tell you that it was me and they are right.
“You should ask the rest of the bunch about the time the class, and by the class I mean the four of us, boycotted English and were expelled from school.
“It took some doing on the part of our parents to convince the principal to allow us back to finish our matric,” Ownhouse recalled.
Brink said he was grateful that they were all still alive, in good health, and had the soundness of mind to be able to recall all the wonderful memories made over the years.
“Being just the four of us drew us closer because we started to rely on each other to get schoolwork done, and later in our personal lives.
“Whenever we get together, we are transported back in time.
“Time spent together is filled with so much joy and laughter,” he said.
Augustine said he was grateful that everyone had made a concerted effort to keep in touch, despite going their separate ways after school.
The four ventured into the information technology, retail, automotive and building sectors.
“Sixty years is a long time, especially when I hear myself saying it out loud.
“Even though so much has changed, the bond of friendship remains firmly in place.”
But what is the secret ingredient that caused the men to remain friends for more than 60 years?
“The answer is simple — our wives all like each other,” Augustine said.
The four men all agree that the reunions will continue until they die.
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