The Daily News, Durban, South Africa, 1997
THE HAPPY COUPLE: Haydn Bradfield
and Maureen Adair after their wedding
Concern for the welfare of the victim of a hammer wielding intruder has led to marriage for two Durban personalities. BARBARA COLES reports
ROMANCE is not something confined to young
people.
Nor is good news something you only hear about in radio plays. Ask two
well-known people in Durban, Miss Maureen Adair and Mr. Haydn Bradfield.
Their experience has warmed the hearts of many people.
A terrifying ordeal at the hands of an intruder which almost cost well-known
radio announcer, actress and producer Ms Adair her life, has had a fairy
tale sequel.
Ms Adair was involved in the popular Men from the Ministry series for
28 years. But reality was a lot more grim. In an attack in her home last
year, she was tied, gagged and assaulted by a hammer-wielding robber who
held her captive for more than three hours. The attacker had threatened
to kill her and she had to fight off his attempts to rape her. He has
subsequently been sent to jail for a long time.
Dinner date
Friends rallied to help Ms Adair. After former city councillor
and Durban mayor, Mr. Haydn Bradfield, read about her nightmare experience
in The Daily News, he too decided to contact her.
Although they had known each other for 30 years, they had not seen each
other for 18 years. Mr. Bradfield phoned her to ask on her well being
and made arrangements to go out to dinner.
And what started out as an inquiry about Ms Adair's welfare, gradually
turned into a lasting concern for her future. Their friendship turned
to love, and ultimately led to a marriage proposal.
And although widow Ms Adair, vowed never
to remarry, she changed her mind"when Mr. Bradfield came along". The "very
pleased" couple were married at the Royal Natal Yacht Club at the
weekend at 'a celibately' ceremony attended by 90 of their friends and
relatives.
I suppose I owe our romance to that robbery," said the 65-year-old
groom, who was Durban's mayor from 1978-1980. Mr. Bradfield, a financial
consultant, and chairman of the Natal Cricket Society, said that his bride
was more famous than he was.
Mr. Bradfield was widowed a year ago and Ms Adair, 64, was a widow for
two years. They have five children and seven grandchildren between them.
People had acted very positively about their wedding, said the
new Mrs. Bradfield, who will continue with her radio work.
Reproduced by Robin Davis
January 2002
