Performance survives 40 years

FIONA GOODALL/Eastern Courier

BORN PERFORMER: Johnny Bond has entertained audiences for 40 years.

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After 40 years there are no signs of the curtain coming down on the acting career of a Howick resident.

Johnny Bond was acknowledged for his work at the Howick Little Theatre’s annual general meeting.

It was a surprise.

"I was coerced into entertaining them for 10 minutes and before I walked off they gave me a huge hamper."

His passion began unintentionally after arriving from Britain in 1968.

His wife worked with one of the founders of the theatre who found out that he was a carpenter and wanted him to do set work.

"Carpenters and the Little Theatre made good mates," he says.

The theatre was in the old town hall in Howick which was "dusty and dirty but wonderful".

When they discovered his theatrical personality they "bullied me into taking a main part".

The then 38-year-old, who had never acted before, won great reviews.

Despite the delay off the starting blocks he had a predisposition to be an entertainer.

His mother was a singer, and he discovered his ability to make his Dad laugh at a young age.

His taste for being in the spotlight was recognised and he featured in many more plays and has since also done about 20 television commercials, including a current ad for TV2.

A highlight of his television work was being in a musical which went live for three weeks, and he has also featured in the series Aerobus: The aftermath.

When his agent told him there were two parts going, a pilot or a clerk of the court, he response was "well a pilot sounds sexy".

But he found the pilot’s work lasted for two days so took the other part lasting six weeks.

Retirement from his job as a property valuer hasn’t slowed him down and he is constantly fielding calls from his agent.

He says he has never been so busy. He also belongs to a jazz trio playing in RSAs to "earn a few extra bob".

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