- Debbie and Jane’s friendship began as childhood penpals in 1974
- Their friendship endured through marriages, children, and hardships
- In 2024, after 51 years of writing, they finally met in the UK where Jane lives
Here Debbie shares her story in her own words.
Racing home from school, I was giddy with excitement to see a letter on my bed.
‘It’s from my penpal!’ I smiled, ripping it open.
It was 1974 and, aged 11, I’d signed up to a penpal program through Big Blue Marble – an educational TV show that shared kids’ stories from around the world. They offered viewers the chance to connect with other kids from different cultures around the globe.
A few months after I’d written to the organisers telling them a bit about myself, I received a letter back with the name and address for a girl named Jane. Like me, she was 11 years old, but lived overseas in Kent, England.
‘Wow!’ I beamed, imagining what life was like for her in the UK.
Scribing my first letter, I told Jane about myself and how I enjoyed school – especially English and art – sports such as volleyball, and of course, watching TV!
‘She wrote back!’
Incredibly, several weeks later, she wrote back.
So nice to hear from you, Jane penned.
She said she had a little brother named Andrew, then eight, and also loved school, especially maths and English.
I have a little brother too, I replied, sharing funny stories of my cheeky sibling Bill, who was also eight.
I’d keep the precious letters in a box stashed safely in my bedroom cupboard.
As we entered our teens, the content of our letters shifted from school to boys, as we shared our teen crushes and celebrity heartthrobs.
I was smitten with John Travolta from the movie Grease, while Jane fancied whoever the latest British movie star was. And we both loved pop music – for me I was a fan of the Beatles whereas Jane was besotted with the Bay City Rollers.
We also enjoyed discovering our different lingo. For instance, being from New Jersey, US, I wrote Mom, while Jane used Mum. And she’d write about biscuits, which we called cookies.
When we graduated from high school around the same time, we both went on to study further.
‘I couldn’t wait to share my news with my friend from afar.’
I finished! I wrote to Jane in 1984, after graduating from uni with an associate degree in mechanical design.
As the years passed and I experienced exciting life changes, such as moving out of home and getting engaged, I couldn’t wait to share my news with my friend from afar.
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And when I got married in 1989, aged 26, Jane was thrilled for me.
By then, she’d also married her beau and sent me a picture of her gorgeous gown.
In 1990, I was over the moon to learn that Jane was pregnant.
Then, receiving a photo of her son, who she named Michael, was such a special moment.
Two years later, Jane welcomed another son, James. Around the same time, I had my first daughter, Shannon.
Despite living so far apart, it was comforting to know I wasn’t alone in the newborn trenches.
But as life became busier with work, married life and raising families, our letters started to slow.
Still, I never stopped thinking of my dear friend.
In 1995, I welcomed my second girl, Kimberly.
A few years later, I was at home with the girls when the phone rang.
It was Jane!
‘I was blown away by her surprise call.’
I was gobsmacked to hear her voice for the very first time. We only spoke for a few minutes – as overseas phone calls were expensive – but I was blown away by her surprise call.
And after that, we kept at it with our letters and cards whenever we found the chance.
Sadly, three years later I learned that Jane and her hubby had split.
When I went through the same thing in 2015, Jane was able to comfort me.
By then we communicated mostly through social media, which was far quicker than sending letters in the post.
It was so wonderful to be able to keep up with each other’s lives in real time, such as when I got engaged to Dave, then 61, in 2021.
Congratulations! Jane commented on a photo of us together.
By then, Jane had also found love again with a man named Phil.
In 2024, I sent Jane a message to mark our 50th year of friendship.
I think it’s a sign… I should fly to the UK and finally visit you, I wrote.
It certainly is! she said.
After sharing my plan with Shannon, 33, and Kimberly, 30, I invited them to come along.
My girls had known all about my beloved penpal as they’d grown up, and were thrilled we were finally going to meet in person.
Finally, in August this year, the three of us flew to London.
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‘This place is amazing!’ I declared as we ticked off the famous local sights, such as Big Ben and the London Eye.
When we spotted Jane and Phil walking towards us outside Westminster Station, I squealed with delight.
‘It’s really you!’ I beamed, as we hugged.
It was so surreal to be meeting my penpal after 51 long years. ‘I can’t believe it,’ she smiled.
‘We have 100 letters in total.’
Heading to the pub for lunch, I brought along the box of our letters I’d kept over the years. There were around 100 in total.
‘Who knew our friendship would stand the test of time,’ Jane laughed.
We spent hours laughing and chatting. When it was time to say goodbye, I felt so lucky to have finally met my lifelong friend.
Four months on, things haven’t changed a bit and Jane and I still chat and write regularly.
I’d love to come back and see you again someday, I recently wrote, and she agreed.
I’m so lucky to have found a lifelong friend thanks to a TV show!
