Even though they enjoy a dream life in the United States, home will always be where the heart is for South African couple Greg and Rayne Tebbutt.
It only took 11 days holidaying at Kariega Game Reserve near Kenton-On-Sea last year to realise just how much they missed being around family and relaxing in the African bushveld.
When a family friend planted the idea that Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate would be the perfect place to live should they ever decide to move back, they were intrigued.
While Greg, a highly accomplished marketing consultant for the auto industry, returned to the States after their holiday, Rayne stayed on in her hometown of Gqeberha.
It was during this period that she spotted a house for sale at Sards, prompting her to call her husband to discuss a potential purchase.
“We asked ourselves, ‘Why can’t we create our own destiny?” Greg said. “We want to live on two continents.”
If they took this bold step, they argued, they could spend more time in South Africa.
“I hadn’t even seen the place [in person] but we made the offer in September and the transfer went through on November 1.”
Remax estate agent Alan Moore guided them through the process.
Their decision to buy at the estate was as much about their young children as it was their desire to enjoy the home comforts of their native land.
They wanted their two boys to spend time with their grandparents and cousins, an experience the US simply could not offer.
They also did not want them believing every place in the world was like America, which was in “a bit of a bubble” in terms of its economic status.
“America has been good to us, but we are South African at heart and your heart always belongs to your people,” Rayne, who counts among her alumni Alexander Road High School and Nelson Mandela University, said.
Their short to medium-term plans for their new Sards home include landscaping, renovations and improvements to the exterior.
As to some extent they are still finding their feet in California, they intend leasing out the property for a few years before being in a position to spend more time in GQ.
They have already spoken to well-known local architect David Hollis about making structural changes to the home at a later stage.
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The couple’s “full circle” move to Nelson Mandela Bay is very emblematic of their journey together.
Greg was born in the city but grew up and studied in Johannesburg, where he later worked for some of the country’s leading advertising agencies including Ogilvy and Hunt Lascaris.
It was while working on an account for Volkswagen SA that he first met his future wife, who was with the automaker’s promotions and events division at the time.
While they knew each other well for years, theirs was a friendly but professional relationship.
Rayne then had the opportunity to move to the US but after a short while returned to South Africa where she reconnected with Greg.
“Eventually you do a loop around. I had to go away and come back and look at Greg in a different way,” she quipped.
After tying the knot, they collectively decided to “make a go of it” in America. Rayne always hoped to return and Greg was able to request a transfer through his company.
True to form, Greg hit the ground running when they arrived in New York in 2015. He was determined to land the VW account and his persistence paid off when he was rewarded with a position on the marketing side at the German vehicle manufacturer.
Electric vehicles were just starting to make waves and he was fortunate to be on board as the market swelled. That experience enabled him to get a job with EV carmaker VinFast US, a development that took the couple to California.
They love living in Manhattan Beach, which offers their boys an oceanside lifestyle. The children can also walk to school.
“We feel more at home on the coast. It’s very similar to PE,” Rayne said.
She hoped other South Africans living abroad would also start to invest in their home country as there was much to celebrate.
Greg agreed.
“You are almost trained in a sense to have that negative lens, but just that mind shift would benefit everyone. We have a lack of confidence in ourselves but this country is so much better than we think it is.”