Childhood friends' surprise reunion
Published 2 Dec 2011 09:00
IT was a beautiful day indeed when a Renfrewshire lady was re-united with one of her dearest friends after 60 long years apart.
Jean Watson, 83, who lives in Bishopton, was overwhelmed with joy when she was given a surprise meeting with a long lost friend who she hadn't seen since she was in her 20s.
Jean and David Mitchell had been friends ever since their youth when they grew up next door to each other in Knightswood area of Glasgow.
It was only when both married and moved away from their hometown that they gradually began to drift apart.
However, a couple of weeks ago when Jean started reminiscing about the old days with daughter-in-law Roseanne and mentioned David, Roseanne decided she would give her mother-in-law a special surprise.
Roseanne, who lives in Ullapool, decided to contact David and set up a surprise meeting for Jean while she was up in Scotland to celebrate her mother-in-law's 83rd birthday.
The group gathered at the Wheelhouse in Langbank and Jean couldn't believe her eyes when standing there 60 years since she had last seen him was David with a big bunch of flowers.
Her daughter-in-law Rosanne Watson told the Gazette: "It was a really lovely day, David had joked to Jean before that they would be in wheelchairs the next time they saw each other! He said to her 'now Jean don't collapse', I think he was quite emotional at the meal.
"I thought it would be a nice surprise to reunite her with David after almost 60 years. I left Ullapool with my son and his girlfriend to what Jean thought was just a birthday lunch at the Wheelhouse on the Clyde. It really was so rewarding to see the shock on their faces when we first arrived.
"David did tell me all the memories came flooding back to him as he saw Jean emerge from the car.
"I gave them an iced fruit cake to carry over after our meal which they did bursting into song. It was all a real delight. Jean took days to come down off cloud nine."
Jean suffers from poor hearing and has had at least 70 eye injections, but despite this she still maintained a good social life and maintains her country dancing, gardening and reading.
Speaking on seeing David again she said: "As neither of us had any brothers or sisters we grew up doing everything together. We played every day and we were in the same class at school so we used to cheat and do our homework together. It was a lovely surprise as I often wondered how and what he was doing.
"We drifted apart after we got married as distance separated us, and no doubt we will keep in touch now. It was a lovely surprise and a most enjoyable day."
This article appeared in The Gazette 30 Nov 11
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