Reader’s Digest Australia & New Zealand – May 2019

READER’S DIGEST

May• 2019 | 65

dedicatedpeople.Thereremained
nothing,really,forhimtodo.
HereturnedtotheWestCoast
totrytointerestthenetworksin
turningthemovieintoatelevi-
sionseries.Intheautumnof1982,
Tomwashospitalisedwithacute
pneumoniacomplicatedbya viral
infection.Severalofhisnow-grown
boysf lewouttoseehim.Tomwas
onarespirator,unabletospeak.
Twenty-six-year-oldMark,theone-
timeglue-snifferturnedrespirato-
rytherapist,came– andhistrained
eyes dimmedwithtears.

TWELVEDAYSbefore Christmas,
TomButterfielddied.Thememorial
servicewasthrongedwithmostofthe
150 menandwomenwhohadpassed
throughourportals.Inthefirstrow
wereAndy,nowmarriedandworking
ona farm,andDan,whocooksina
restaurantanddoesvolunteerwork
withtheelderly.Billywasthere,too,
a married homeowner and well-paid

technician.Mikewasn’tthere.Hehad

diedinVietnam.

Afterthescheduledremarks,the

ministeraskedifanyoneelsewant-

edtospeak.JohnnyKates,now 31

andaminister,rose:“SoonafterI

cametothefarm,acoupleofthe

boysandI pincheda carandwent

joyriding,notoncebuttwice.We

wreckedonecar.Whenthepolice

broughtusback,Tomsaidwewere

goingtogetthelickingofourlives.

Wedid,butashepaddledus,tears

streameddownhisface.

“I’llalwaysbegratefulforthe

homeTomgaveme.I stillfeelpart

ofthefarm.I canalwaysgothere

andfeel good,because it’s my

home.”Johnnysteppedback.

ThensomethinghappenedthatI

hadneverseenorheardofata

memorialservice:everybody stood

upandcheered.

FromReader’sDigest,

November 1983

HOLIDAYSNAPS‘SEALED’INSIDE

ScientistsinNewZealandsaytheyfounda USBmemorystick

containingholidayphotosinsidea frozensealpoo.

Thescat,whichis valuableforstudyingthehealthofleopard

seals,hadbeenstoredina freezerfora year.However,

the stick wasingoodcondition“consideringwhere it had

come from”,saidresearchers.

REUTERS