Movie prank led to marriage of 60 years | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

If you meet Harry and Imez Johns you can see why their marriage is still going strong after 60 years.

The couple met when Mr Johns pulled a mischievous joke on Imez at the movies and she has dealt with his humorous antics since.

Mr Johns, now 81, and Mrs Johns, 76, met "at the pictures" in Tauranga's Regent Theatre at the end of Willow St in 1948.

"I saw this pretty girl sitting in front of me and she had long beautiful plaits which were flowing over the back of her chair. So I took my shoelace out of my shoe and I tied her plaits to her seat," said Mr Johns.

Imez believes she may have threw the shoelace back at him.

Their next encounter was the movies again and this time, Mr Johns actually spoke to his future wife and a bond was formed.

"In those days you never did anything but go to the pictures," Mr Johns said.

Although while courting, the couple had much fun playing table tennis and tennis at Tauriko.

When Mr Johns proposed they were walking along The Strand and were passing a jewellers shop.

"I said to Imez how about we buy a ring." She replied: "Oh okay."

The couple married on October 18, 1950, at Tauranga's Anglican Church of England.

The couple had five boys and three girls.

The newlyweds moved to 30ha property on Belk Rd to milk dairy cows for five years.

"The farm had no power, no phone connection and no road to it - no nothing," Mrs Johns said.

The couple milked 25 cows by hand and didn't have a cowshed, so milked the cows in the paddock.

They sold and spent 12 months in Greerton building a house.

"Then everyone else built a house around ours, so we went to Manawa and bought a 60ha farm," Mr Johns said.

Enthusiastic dancers, the couple tutored lessons at the Apata Hall for years.

"Harry has been chief of Katikati Caledonian Society for 15 years too," Mrs Johns said.

And the couple still regularly go dancing in Mount Maunganui, Te Puke and Tauranga.