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Terry and Janet Green will mark 60 years of married life on April 3 by taking in a show with their daughters at Weymouth Pavilion. The couple, 84 and 81 respectively, got together five years before they got married in 1965, after meeting at a dance in Birmingham, where they lived at the time. Janet said: “We met at one of those old dances in Birmingham.
He was with a load of teddy boys, but he wasn’t dressed like they were and when his friends asked him if he was going to another party, I said to them that he’s coming with me!” Janet and Terry Green (Image: Alfie Lumb) Speaking about the secrets of a successful marriage, Janet said: “I think most of it is about having patience and trust - to find trust in one another, be aware and find agreements, as well as being respectful for each other. We’re soul mates and I’d have been in the clink without him.” Terry simply said: “I never wanted to be with anyone else - I gave up my mates to be with her- we both did; it’s true love and hard to explain.
” Despite being destined to be together, Janet’s parents were not keen on Terry’s background, hailing from a poorer part of the city, meaning the couple were forced to wait to get married. Janet said: “I was from quite a posh family but Terry came from the other side, and my parents had to sign consent when you were under the age of 21 to get married and would only do that when we bought a house together- we had to meet at the bank every week to put our deposit in.” Janet and Terry Green having a laugh with each other (Image: Alfie Lumb) The pair got married at St Giles Church in Sheldon, one mile outside Birmingham International Airport, before moving down south.
Terry explained: “We left Birmingham due to IRA attacks in the 1970s - It was close to where we live and we knew people who sadly died, but it wasn’t the major reason. Jan’s family are from around here. We were lucky because I was a plumber I could up and move to find a better job and life, and now we’ve settled here.
None of our children or grandchildren have moved away." In the 60 years they’ve been together, the couple have lived in Chickerell for around 35 years, and owned the Marina Court Hotel on Weymouth seafront, as well as two guest houses, before Janet started working at Dorset County Hospital as a nurse. One of the special moments for the family in that time, said daughter Claire, has been going on family holidays.
She said: “My dad grew up poor, in poverty, with no electricity, and he always had a dream to scuba dive, so when we went to Turkey he teared up - it was such a big moment." The couple are looking forward to receiving their 60th wedding anniversary card from the King..
