A postcard delivered 50 years late has made it possible for two lost pals to reunite. Tim Duffy and his wife, Claire Duffy, who recently purchased a home in Adelaide, South Australia, stumbled on a postcard that was stuck under a pile of old bills.
The well-preserved postcard was written in 1966 by Chris Reynolds and was addressed to a man named Robert Giorgio. It was mailed from Papeete in French Polynesia, and it featured beautiful colonial buildings from the overseas collectivity.
Giorgio wrote that he was having a great time, talked about the weather, and concluded by explaining to his friend that he would write him again after he returned to England. The postcard read:
“ I am enjoying myself greatly. The weather is very humid … I’ll try and drop you a note in England.”
Mr. Duffy took the postcard to the Australia Post, who apologized for the mix-up and said they have no idea why it was not delivered to the right owner. The statement read:
“It is clear something went wrong 50 years ago after the postcard was posted in French Polynesia, and we apologize for the inconvenience.”
It went on to say:
“Australia Post takes great pride in the timely, safe and efficient delivery of mail and we are confident that the vast majority of mail and parcels arrive on time.”
According to local media, Reynolds and Giorgio reunited after the story went viral. The two men stated that they attended Rostrevor College in Adelaide and went to the university together where they studied law. However, they drifted apart and had not spoken to each other in decades. Reynolds explained:
“Robert was a school friend. We stayed friends for quite a while, though eventually, we lost contact.”
Giorgio, who was thrilled to see his old friend, added:
“It makes everything that happened in between drop away. I was there when that happened then and I am here now and it is like, whatever happened in between, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It feels like I just saw him last week. Your personality basically stays the same.”
This extraordinary story with a happy ending put a smile on many faces.
