Eight decades ago, on March 19, Fossil Colyer and Maxwell Wilson were born at a private nursing home at 24 Arthur St, run by midwife Helen Colyer (Mr Colyer’s late grandmother).
The Invercargill-born men never knew of each other’s existence or about the intimate start of their lives, until Mr Colyer’s wife and Mr Wilson’s sister made the connection last year.
Mrs Carole Colyer discovered through her friendship with Max’s sister, Glenice, that her husband and Mr Wilson shared the same birth date, which initiated a phone conversation between the men last year.
Mr Wilson said the ease of talking about their similar, humble beginnings prompted him to organise a meeting with his new-found friend.
‘‘There was that spiritual connection there ... kindred spirits sort of thing — I told him that we had to meet,’’ Mr Wilson said.
The pair agreed to relive their shared start in life, at the Arthur St residence, over a beer and have a yarn about how they had spent the last 80 years.
Mr Colyer said after meeting him in the flesh he felt like he had known Mr Wilson for many years.
‘‘One-hundred percent, after shaking his hand ... I felt I had known him all my bloody life,’’ Mr Colyer said.
Mr Wilson left New Zealand more than 50 years ago for a life in Western Australia, while Mr Colyer was raised in Dipton and then eventually made his home back in Invercargill.
Both men had raised their children in Australia and New Zealand and their grandchildren kept them busy both here and across the Ditch.
They said the secret to their longevity was not ‘‘being woke’’.
Mr Wilson said the positive way their lives had panned out was linked to the good start they had in being born at the nursing home.
A recent discovery that they shared the same blood type was even more motivation to maintain their friendship.
‘‘I’ve told him that [if] he’s still breathing when he’s 90 ... I’m going to ring him up and he can do the same for me and we’re going to do exactly the same thing — and come back here to Arthur St,’’ Mr Wilson said.
