Auckland opshop find helps reconnect friends after 20 years apart

Pictured, left to right, are old friends Isaac Curry, Cameron Lamb, Anthony Clay, Jono Hoyle, Tom Broome, Joshua Haw, and Chris Clay. Photo / Supplied

A group of ex-students from Westlake Boys High School and Rangitoto College have been reconnected after their nearly 20-year-old photo was found by a stranger at the op-shop.

Claire Vanstone bought the photo at the Birkenhead Salvation Army Family Store after the frame caught her eye, but stopped to wonder who the seven boys in the picture were.

“I think I realised in the shop that there was a photo in there, and I was like oh that’s pretty random and funny because it looked quite old, and I wondered how old the people were now,” she said.

“I always thought I would just throw the photo away, but then I thought what if somebody wants it, what if it’s a photo of somebody who’s died, or somebody might be quite attached to it.”

Vanstone sent out a post to the Beach Haven and Birkdale Community Facebook page, asking if anyone knew any of the boys pictured.

“I wondered if anyone would be upset about it because I haven’t got permission to publish the photo, but it doesn’t appear that way and it was reacted to quite amusingly.”

The internet loves a mystery, and commenters jumped to try and guess the year the photo had been taken and what the occasion might have been.

Sure enough, the boys were quickly recognised.

Chris Clay, pictured on the far-right, confirmed the photo was most likely taken at his mother’s wedding on June 3, 2005.

“They were all like mum’s kids, you know what I mean? Real close friends, growing up.”

The photo’s random reemergence has already been an unexpected reason for the group of old mates to get back in touch.

“They all pretty much have kids now, and they just kind of mind their own business,” Clay said.

“My actual brother lives round the corner, my stepbrother lives over in Latvia now… The other four are my brother’s mates, he caught up with one just in the weekend… he was back in Auckland for the weekend and this made them get back in contact, which was really cool.”

Clay’s mother, Anne Haw, said it would be amazing if the photo from her wedding reception led to a reunion.

“They all walked me down the aisle at my wedding, it was like a guard of honour.

“To get them all in the same room again would be a wonderful dream.”

The photo is now back in the possession of Clay’s brother, Anthony.

As for how it ended up at the op-shop, Clay’s theory is that his brother’s ex-girlfriend might have donated it while having a clearout.