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Home Truths
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About John Peel
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Love at First Sight When Simon and Catherine Bearder heard about a whirlwind romance on Home Truths, they felt impelled to contact us. They first met 28 years ago, on New Years Eve. They spotted each other in a pub, and then at a party. It was love at first sight... Simon was back in Britain for a week or two when he met Catherine. He lived and worked in Kruger National Park, studying the feeding habits of Hyenas. Catherine worked in an antiques shop in Hertfordshire.
Catherine's first impression was that Simon had a strange accent and wonderful twinkly eyes. Catherine, Simon remembers, was wearing a revealing, shiny dress. He was in love. She was with someone else, but after some basic sleuthing he deduced that they hadn't been together for very long.
Several hours later they met again at a party. Emboldened by drink, Simon walked up and asked for a dance. Minutes later he told her he loved her. Catherine found that the same thought was going through her mind.
Catherine left the party with her boyfriend, having told Simon where she lived. She expected him to turn up, but, not understanding her rather confusing address he didn't. The day after, Simon came in to Catherine's antiques shop 'needing a present for his sister'. He was wondering it it had all been a dream. He proposed on the Thursday night. He was in such a state that he asked 'Caroline'. Catherine was so desperate for him to ask that she was on the point of proposing to him. Simon had a ticket back to South Africa the next week, and wanted to marry her straight away.
Catherine's Dad went quite pale when he realised that they were planning to marry so soon. He tried to persuade her against rushing into it. But he had told Catherine as a child that the minute he saw her mother he'd known that she was 'the one', and he soon realised that this was a battle he wouldn't win.
Simon's reason for being in Britain at all was his mother, who was very ill in hospital at the time. She did get to meet Catherine, and seemed to have a sixth sense in knowing what was going on. She made a huge effort for their meeting. She died days later.
Catherine and Simon barely knew each other when they married but for the next five years they were then never apart. There were no external pressures and Catherine describes it as like being on holiday all the time. Simon knew the bush and it's animals so he could explain everything and though Catherine had no knowledge or particular affinity to wild life when she arrived she wasn't frightened.
They had water but no electricity, a concrete floor and a gap under the loo shed door though which frogs would appear. The people working with them had heard their news and painted a fertility sign around the bedroom.
Simon's study was prompted by a worry that the hyena's were eating too many antelope. In fact they weren't. Every evening they'd go out and watch them devouring rotting carcasses. Every young girls dream.
Simon and Catherine have now been married for twenty-eight years and have three sons. If one of their sons announced that he was marrying the next day, they admit would be appalled.More information:
Kruger National Park
Information, a virtual safari and quizzes
South African National Parks
More tourist information
World news
Hyenas hit the headlines
If your love story is a roller coaster of dazed adoration and hyena spotting (or even if its not)
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