mmg.com.au

When Floss and Eric Barnett met more than 60 years ago, Floss chased Eric down — literally.

In what was a fairytale role reversal, Floss would race her horse alongside Eric while he was driving a bus between Heidelberg and Northcote.

‘‘I used to give him a run for his money,’’ she laughed.

But the pair did most of their courting on the back of a motorcycle.

‘‘I wore flared dresses back then and I was just learning to lean the right way and one day the dress got caught in the sprocket of the back wheel,’’ Floss said.

During that time, the couple went to the pictures, went dancing and watched the football together. But Floss came from a strict family so she made sure she applied her lipstick after she left the house and wiped it off before she got home.

‘‘She was a bit of a chick,’’ Eric said.

Floss also called Eric a ‘‘looker’’, adding she was attracted to his personality and quick sense of humour. The pair married on Floss’ 22nd birthday on February 9, 1952 at the Salvation Army Church in Fairfield, Melbourne.

‘‘After we first got married, we lived in a shack on the river with no electricity and water. We used to chop wood before bed and had kerosene lamps,’’ Floss said.

Later the couple built a house, with the help of Eric’s brother, at Research near Eltham.

‘‘We always did things together, co-operated with each other,’’ Floss said.

After 25 years and two sons and a daughter later, the house was complete.

‘‘It felt like we had just built this four-bedroom house and, all of a sudden, there were only two people in it,’’ Eric said.

Deciding to downsize, the Barnetts moved to Cobram in the early 1990s. Horseshoe Lagoon had been a favourite camping spot of theirs for a long time and the pair settled in quickly.

‘‘Every Wednesday Floss reads the local paper and I read the Sun and then we swap,’’ Eric said.

This month the couple celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary — a milestone they both agree came with some tests.

‘‘Everyone seems to say you have to give and take — and you do. Life is a challenge, but we try to discuss things and we work it out. But there are some days when I think, ‘I want to get off the bus!’ ’’ Floss laughed.

The pair, who have seven grandchildren, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with family in Melbourne this week.