Ron Thorne carefully holds the Christmas cards he has been exchanging with his mate Alex Shaw for nearly 58 years. Photo / Paul Taylor
Ron Thorne carefully holds the Christmas cards he has been exchanging with his mate Alex Shaw for nearly 58 years. Photo / Paul Taylor
Nestled amongst one of the 57 years of Christmas greetings between two Kiwi friends is a phrase that sums up their bond perfectly: "I don't know where time has gone."
In 1962, Ron Thorne bought a three penny Christmas card featuring a dog in a kilt playing the bagpipes. Itwas for friend Alex Shaw, in a nod to Shaw's Scottish heritage.
And ever since then the duo have been swapping the card every Christmas.
The card has an inscription which reads "My Christmas wish is yours for keeps, and I am happy to be sending it....but please return the card to me....it is so costly I'm just lending it! Merry Christmas."
Since then, news of a new aortic valve for Shaw and Thorne's Parkinson's being under control, the death of his wife and birth of his grandchildren have been some of the many things shared by the duo in the now tattered, and full card.
The friendship between the two mates began in 1954 at school in Opotiki when Thorne was assigned to Shaw as a "buddy" to show him around school.
"Alex is of Scottish heritage and when I saw this card I sent it to him."
Their lengthy exchange would tie a rather odd a Guinness World Record for continuous exchanging of one Christmas card, but unfortunately they've actually used two.
The original card was filled to the brim in 2000 with updates on family and career.
By happen-chance a woman in Auckland saw a write-up about the two exchanging the Christmas card.
"She had a card which was exactly the same as ours and she was going to send it to her friend. But then she saw the write up and decided to send it to me instead."
Now the original is popped into a envelope with postage costing "way more than the original which I bought prior to the decimal currency coming in", Thorne said.
Thorne and Shaw are now both retired. Both ended up in different careers.
Thorne was a police senior constable, and he worked for Terry Longley for 12 years.
He retired in 1999.
Shaw worked as an engineer for Tokoroa Council. He's also now retired and now lives in Tauranga District, Thorne said.
Their family members think it's silly, Thorne laughs.
"They think I am a bit of a miserly old bugger, but it's just a bit of fun."
He looks forward to receiving the card and the occasional meeting with Shaw.
Thorne received the card in 2019 from Shaw "we are still at Tim Rd. Our big event for 2019 is Craig (youngest) moving back from Jp and now in Switzerland with new wife Alexandra. All the best for 2020."
