On the evening of Saturday January 7 Angus and Olive Buchanan’s children gathered from around the world for supper at Cellars Hohenhort to celebrate the couple’s 70th wedding anniversary, which was yesterday, Wednesday January 11.
Angus Buchanan was born in Glasgow in 1922 and signed up with the RAF in 1941.
After basic training, he was posted with the Forgotten Army to fight the Japanese in India and Burma with the 3rd Tactical Airforce combined with the 14th Army under General Slim and Air Marshall Baldwin.
The troopship conveying him to the front lost a propeller before reaching Cape Town and limped into port. After a few days in camp, the ship left for repairs leaving 122 airmen in Cape Town where they remained for three months. During this time, he met Olive Turner, sister-in-law to his cousin.
After a brief courtship, Angus set off to war.
The couple corresponded during the remainder of the war, including a marriage proposal and acceptance by post.
At the end of the war, Angus was de-mobbed to Glasgow where Olive joined him (travelling on an unconverted troop ship to Southampton). They married in Glasgow on January 11 1947.
The European winter was particularly harsh and coupled with the hardship of rations after the war, the couple decided to move to Cape Town later that year where they settled.
Angus worked for Lamson Paragon (later Moore Paragon), a printing company, rising from salesman to sales director. Olive worked as a secretary until their children were born and when they were older, worked at Rondebosch Boys’ High
School.
The couple have six children, six grandchildren and two great- grandchildren. Three of their children live in South Africa, two in England and one in New Zealand which has enabled them to spend many happy years travelling to see their children and grandchildren. They celebrated their 90th birthdays in France with 18 members of their family. Their last trip to England was in 2015, at the age of 93. The couple live at Constantia
Place.
