Morrie Swartz... ALS

THIS is book I found jammed in my screen door.  It was around May, 2004.  I was booked to meet up with  an old friend who  lived on Vancouver Island in Canada, formerly of Wollongong.  

My friend Peter Hill and his wife Laurie, had just returned in that six months. from Australia,  after a visit to see his son, David, here in Mackay.  Co-incidentally I was living there, and had been since 1966. After 30 years since he last visited , I was glad he called in to visit me. It went on from there.

Pete was dying from motor nuorone disease, he needed to visit David and his new wife, along with long time friend from Katoomba, Colin Quinn.  

A good time was had by them all.

Peter and Laurie invited me to  come  over and stay at their home at Saarnitch on the island.

On ferrying into the  jetty terminal on Vancouver Island. I was told their home was not 300 yards from the terminal on the Bay, at Dolphin Road.  Staring me in  the face was this sign.  I was at Swartz Bay, Saanitch, Vancouver Island.

Getting back to the mysterious novel.  I read it on the flight to Canada.  The story was about a gentleman, named Morrie SWARTZ.  An American Professor, dying of ALS (Motor Nuorone).  The very same disease that took Pro Hart and another work compatriot of  mine, John Fuller, a compositor from the Mackay Daily Mercury.

The book is tragic, but a wonderful story.  Later, Oprah Winfrey financed the movie.  It was the last movie Jack Lemon was to star in, before he passed away.

To this day, I still do not know who left the novel for  me.   It has me wondering.  After asking around, not one person I know ever placed it in the door.   I guess I will never know.  I just cannot get over the fact that my friends' home and my destination was the same name as the late gentleman in the book. (Swartz).

 I write this today, because, this very morning, I told this story .  Not knowing I was familiar with the ailment, an acquaintance had just told me that her nephew was suffering from the same terrible disease in Brisbane.  He is former Mackay resident, whom I knew well and had done business with him some years back.    I needed to document this here and now to get it  off  my chest.  I guess it was just an amazing coincidence.