Ohinemuri Regional History Journal 46, September 2002
DALLAS and HAROLD PROUT DIAMOND WEDDING
On 20 October 2001 longtime members of the Paeroa & District Historical Society, Dallas and Harold Prout celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary.
Harold Prout was born in Taranaki and moved to the Hauraki Plains when he was one year old. Dallas has lived in the Paeroa area all of her life. The couple met at a Caledonian dance at the Netherton Hall and they married at the Registry Office at the Paeroa Post Office. In the midst of the Second World War people could not afford a big wedding and theirs was described as "small and informal". After marriage the Prouts worked on dairy farms and eventually saved sufficient money to purchase a farm of their own.
The couple had seven children and all were expected to help out in the running of the family farm which is now run by Harold and Dallas's two sons. Since retirement from the farm about twenty-four years ago, Harold and Dallas have been living in Paeroa. They described the transition from farming as difficult for the first four years as Harold continued to awaken at 5 00 am each morning. Interests since retirement have included racing horses, playing golf and bowls and being involved in several organisations. Dallas has been actively involved in the Netherton Country Women's Institute for more than fifty years. While no longer involved in racing horses, they did have three horses win several races in Australia and their galloper, Hikotere, won a feature race in Wellington.
At the time of their Diamond Wedding Anniversary, Harold and Dallas had twenty-one grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. Congratulations on their milestone Anniversary were received from the Queen, Governor General, Dame Silvia Cartwright, Prime Minister, Helen Clark and Coromandel MP, Jeanette Fitzsimons.