The Beatles are long gone, England have not won the World Cup since, but just yesterday the letter to Mr Shepherd arrived in the letterbox.
Opoho man Peter Gale said he could not believe it.
‘‘I know that NZ Post can be slow at times, but this one seems to take the cake.’’
‘‘It was addressed to Mr E.H. Shepherd, who is no longer at this address; our current house was built in the 1980s.
‘‘It seems to be some sort of ‘health camp' correspondence, but the envelope is unopened.’’
Mr Gale, who was born in 1959, said there must be a story behind the letter arriving some 60 years late.
‘‘They had the health camps in those days ... so it might form part of an intriguing story.’’
Dr Gunn envisioned the camps to address health issues rampant in communities at the time including tuberculosis, malnutrition and infectious diseases, especially in children.
The last of the camps closed in 2018.
In the meantime, Mr Gale is reaching out to anyone who might have known an E.H. Shepherd, including any distant relatives.
‘‘This letter has had a long, tattered journey.
‘‘It would be great to hear more about that journey.’’
