Lucky lady sees ex-colleague on way to Memphis

One day they may well write a song about it - how Lady Luck, a long-standing promise and the King of rock 'n' roll combined to give a Milton man the musical trip of a lifetime.

John Cavanagh, 56, has returned from a 10-day trip to Memphis, Tennessee, where he visited Graceland, the home of the King - Elvis Aron Presley.

This was not an adventure he scrimped and saved for but instead it was the tail-end of a story that began 15 years ago.

Mr Cavanagh loves music. He has met jazz great Louis Armstrong and former Beatle John Lennon over the years and enjoys a blues gig as much as a barnstorming rock n' roll jam.

He is more of an Elvis fan than a fanatic but he has always enjoyed his brand of music and had one day hoped to visit his famous home.

The story's beginning is at Fletcher Fisheries, now Sealord, where Mr Cavanagh was working years ago.

A young Dunedin woman was put under his control. As he recalled this week, she was "a bit of a handful but harmless".

Mr Cavanagh persevered with her and even occasionally offered her some free advice about work and her future.

One day she thanked him for his efforts over the years and promised she would shout him a trip to Graceland if she ever won Lotto.

He appreciated the offer but thought nothing more of it. After all, how many people ever win the big one?

A few months ago, he had heard a whisper that this woman had indeed won the Lotto jackpot. One afternoon she tracked him down.

"She said 'remember my promise, well, you're on your way to Graceland'. I just remember losing it and bursting into tears," he said.

Mr Cavanagh had gone through some rough times so the gift and the gesture were overwhelming.

In late July, he was on his way.

He stayed at the Heartbreak Hotel, which plays nonstop Elvis music. But it was not until the last day of his visit that he went to the Graceland estate.

As he expected, there were long queues of devoted Elvis fans, but the home itself was small.

"I got kind of claustrophobic, to be honest. I couldn't have lived there myself. My God, the furniture from those days is still there."

Back from his trip, Mr Cavanagh was not going to let some missing luggage stop him from holding temporary bragging rights at his country club. A phone call to his "mystery woman" was also on the playlist, he promised.

- NZPA