An Australian man, who lost both his wife and his fishing partner, recently made headlines on various news sites after he posted a heartbreaking ad in Gumtree last January 17.
The ad reads:
“My name is Ray Johnstone. Australian. I’m a widowed pensioner who is looking for a fishing mate. My previous mate is now deceased. What I want is a fishing mate in a similar position to myself who also wants someone to go fishing with.”
“I am willing to share all costs, e.g. petrol, bait, and should you happen to own a boat (I am) willing to pay all ramp fees, but happy if you are also a land-based fisherman. If you are interested contact me to arrange a meeting to see if we could get along with each other.”
Johnstone’s ad had been viewed 46,000 times before it closed a week after. He told 7 News, “When I started getting a few phone calls I thought it was because of my age, but they kept it going, and going and going.”
Johnstone finally found the partner he’s looking for. Mati Batsinilas, 22 years old, contacted Johnstone and arranged a fishing trip off the Queensland coast for the old man to join in.
Batsinilas told ABC News, “When I read it, I thought it was a heartbreaking story so I commented on it, but I never thought it would ever get to Ray.”
He continued, “When I woke in the morning after posting the comment it had 1,600 likes and more than 500 messages in my mailbox on Facebook. Everyone was trying to get Ray and I hooked up together to do this trip."
Batsinilas contacted Johnstone and asked him to join him for his trip and “get away and relax.” The first trip proved to be successful. The two had already planned for a follow-up, although this time, Batsinilas has different plan for Johnstone: catching beachworms while driving a four-wheel vehicle.
The two went fishing in Moreton Bay on Monday to find some whiting. Batsinilas said, “We got about 25 at the moment and we’re doing it to get Ray onto some big fish hopefully. The weather gods have been on our side, which is cool.”
He continued, “He’s here now and it’s unreal… I can’t explain it in words. It’s so good to see him smile. The feedback has been unreal and the support from everyone has been phenomenal.”
