Page 18 - My Memoirs - Max Kurz

1958-1961 New Beginning - Marriage and a New Job
The next event was quite unexpected, I met the girl that I was to marry, we met at a GSY ( Great Synagogue Youth) social function, her name was Renee Lichtenstein, a very beautiful girl and so I was the envy of all the boys. Our relationship developed into a young teenage love relationship which led to our subsequent engagement in 1960 and marriage in April 1961. I was 20 years of age and Renee was 18 deemed very young to undertake the responsibility and obligations of marriage, especially now in 2020. However, in 1961 it would not have raised an eyebrow. The medium marriage age for males in 1960 was 22.8 and 20.3 for females. In hindsight it was questionable as to whether we possessed the maturity, understanding of the commitment, responsibility, and obligations. Very few did; for us it was not even a thought in our minds, it was just about how we felt at the time and what we wanted.
At that time, there were family and parental influences as well, if you were in an ongoing relationship that was interpreted by all as a potential marriage, it became the main topic of conversation and their interpretation preceded yours. For me it was a very different experience, and I was being shown love and affection. On meeting Renee’s parents, once I was able to transcend the scrutiny of her father, they were very welcoming and attentive. My mother even displayed signs of jealousy because I talked so much about Renee’s parents. It was a breath of fresh air to find myself the focal point within a family environment, which I had never experienced. I was even offered a job working with Renee’s parents in their business known as the Town Hall Bargain Centre.
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