In 1957, Narelle Wright was 12 years old when she impulsively made a decision that would change the course of her life and create everlasting memories.
A magazine in the Central State School library advertised English school children seeking overseas pen pals and, with her permission of her mother, Narelle began a friendship with Londoner Maureen Cowl that would span the decades and continues to this day.
When the pair finally met in 2009 in Brisbane, Narelle admits she was overwhelmed with emotion.
“Maureen phoned me to say she was coming to Australia to meet me,” Narelle said.
“It was unbelievable. We took the caravan down to show her because she came out on a tour of Australia.
“We stayed at a caravan park and she had a unit for a couple of days and I brought her back the first night to show her our caravan and we had a barbecue and then we took them to Lone Pine to show her the animal and had our photos taken holding the koalas.
“I was so overwhelmed, and I never actually thought we would meet face-to-face. It was unbelievable.”
At that meeting, she returned all of Maureen’s letters to her – all bar that first one – to be re-read and treasured by their sender and her family.
Since then, Narelle admits the written word, which she regards as “precious” has largely been replaced by emails and phone calls.
“We talk now more than anything,” she said.
“I often ring her, and she said (her sister) Kathleen wanted to read some of the letters and she was a bit worried she might have said something about her in the letters, and I said not that I remember.
“Even Kathleen is interested in reading the letters, and our friendship has never changed.
“I think if we lived closer, we would be compatible.”
With Maureen’s birthday coming up in April, the pair will celebrate reaching 79 years of age.
At the Calliope branch of the QCWA’s International Women’s Day event, Narelle was the guest speaker, reading out the contents of that very first letter and sharing a large selection of the gifts from her English pen pal.
A reunion via video link was planned, but Maureen’s husband had died only days before.
“This is just such a fantastic story,” branch secretary Sue Daw said.
“Narelle had kept every Christmas, birthday, Easter card, every year they exchanged a calendar of which Narelle kept every single one and not only did she keep that, she also kept the original envelopes,” Sue said.
“It just blows me away that over the years, they exchanged gifts over their whole lives.
“Narelle read out the very first letter this lady had written and I think on International Women’s Day, we got to know a young 12-year-old girl named Maureen from London and it was amazing what she put in her pen pal letter to Narelle.
“What I find touching is that Narelle just spoke so fondly of this lady that she did meet once only.”
