Hi there

I was throwing out hundreds of old photos. Here's a photo of my friend Shirley and I on the day we boarded 'The Northern Star' ship in Wellington,  sailing for England 30 August 1965.

I'm in the front, Shirley behind me, and two strangers behind the two of us.  A news photographer was roaming the ship taking photos. He rounded up we four and posed us on an outside stairway.  The photo was in The Sports Post the following Saturday.

I'd taken three months leave without pay (plus a few weeks' annual leave), Shirley was going to stay for two years.  I didn't work while I was away, and flew home at the finish.  Long distance flying was highly unusual in those days and in the middle of the flight, I was given a crossing the equator certificate.  A pilot even came out and talked to everyone individually.