A story on the front page of The Canberra Times on this day 34 years ago recalled the reunion of Norm Hunter of Minnesota and Leslie Bolger, of Curtin.
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Forty-two years prior, Leslie Bolger, then 24, floated blindly in the remains of a shipwreck.
If he was able to see through the oil which filmed his eyes, he may have recognised the American sailor who helped save his life.
Mr Bolger, 66, reunited with the so-called sailor, Mr Norm Hunter, 60. Mr Bolger searched the Kingston railway platform for Mr Hunter, with only an idea of the man's age to identify him.
A paper name tag, pinned to Hunter's jumper, labelled the man who had been an 18-year-old torpedo operator on the USS Sealion which blew up the Rayuko Maru, a Japanese ship transporting prisoners of war.
Mr Hunter searched for Mr Bolger after receiving a list of names from the author of a book titled Return from the River Kwai.
The author pointed out that as the Sealion had sunk the Rayuko Maru, the least the Americans could do was to pick up the survivors.
Mr Hunter had another gesture of good will for Mr Bolger. It was a blue cap emblazoned with the words "USS Sealion".
It was a little too big, but Mr Bolger was proud to wear it anyway.
See https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/13036353
