There are no suitable words of comfort the Pickering family can offer the Auld family at this time except to say that since our emigration to Port Elizabeth, SA, in 1976 we could never have expected or wished for better friends than Mike and Anthea. Anthea who we met at the King Edward Hotel where we stayed initially on our arrival and where Anthea worked as a receptionist. Mike who we met when he was picking up Anthea from the hotel. We all connected from that time onwards, 2 years in PE when I discovered I was working in the same construction office as Mike, but then I accepted a company transfer to Windhoek in Namibia where, after perhaps a couple of months, we were amazingly joined in Windhoek by our two special friends, with Mike also having been transferred. Our friendship continued there for 6 years and became even stronger. By then, Monica and I had decided to return to the UK, and we said our sad goodbyes to our special friends. But then just a few years later, we were "gob-smacked" when they decided to follow us to the UK and start a new life here. We acted as guarantors for them and welcomed them to our home for a few weeks giving them time to find their own accommodation, which they did very quickly, and then our friendship was rekindled for a second time but in England. Our friendship has continued to this day except that from the time they joined us in England they had become a family of 4 including a baby boy, Mathew, and a young girl, Cassandra. It was with great sadness we learned of Mike's passing, and we can only hope he is now in a better place. Once again our special condolences to Anthea, Cassandra and Mathew with lots of love from Mike and Monica xxx
PS Friends now for almost 50 years!!??
Michael Pickering
13/08/2025
