Reader’s Digest Australia & New Zealand – May 2019

LESSONS OF FRIENDSHIP

64 | May• 2019

17 years.Tomcorrectedhimonce,
andMikeretaliated.Tomtoreinto
theheftyyouthinaviolentwres-
tlingmatchthatleftthemboth
shakenandthefrontrooma sham-
bles.Thateveningafterschool,
MikewenttoseeTom.
“Mike,”Tomsaid,“everyhome
you’vebeeninhaskickedyouout
becauseyoucouldn’tresisttelling
someoneoff.Youhavetolearnto
controlyourself.”
Mike lookedathimandsaid,
“Howcanyouexpectmetowhen
youcan’t?”Fromthenon,Tombe-
came a model of self-control, a fact

notlostonMike.Tomlearnedwhat
wasprobablythebiggestlessonhis
boyshadtomaster:howtocontrol
youremotionsandnotstrikeout
blindlyatlife’sdisappointments.
Anotherboy,Billy,wasa 16-year-
oldelectronicswhizwhohada nasty
habitofhot-wiringthedoorofany-
onewhocrossedhim.Tomdecided
histalentwasworthencouraging.
Billywasgivenabasementcorner
forhisworkshop,andhis‘shocking’
behavioursubsided.
By 1971 Tomhadenoughmoney
for a three-bedroom cottage. Five

yearslaterheboughtandrestored

anoldhouseas aresidencefor

homelessgirls.In 1977 werenovat-

edourlastresidenceforboys,anold

farmhouse.ThankstothreePres-

identialcitationsfor‘exceptional

servicetoothers’anda mailinglist

of30,000contributors,Butterfield

YouthServicescouldnowboastfour

residences,housing 26 youngpeo-

ple,plusacomplexofclassrooms

forspecialinstruction,ag ymand

anartstudio.

ThenTomgotanotheridea.Why

notafilmaboutButterfieldBoys

Farm? For the next two years he

besiegedHolly woodwiththesame

persistencethat 20 yearsearlier

hadbattereddownthedoorsofthe

statebureaucracy.Theresultwas

apoignantCBStelevisionmovie

showninDecember1981,TheChil-

drenNobodyWanted.

Tom was a 42-year-old man

now,hisgenerousbeardstreaked

withgrey.Asusualhewaswork-

ingnightandday.WhenI sawhim

next,atthefilm’spremière,he’dlost

weightandlookedthinandtired.

Hehadfilledeveryjobhe’dever

done at Butterfield with competent,

HebesiegedHollywoodwiththesame

persistencethat 20 yearsearlierhadbattered

down the doors of the state bureaucracy