“This Sunday, I want to share a personal story about friendship and how it sometimes shows up in unexpected ways.”
Today I want to tell you about a guy called Ross St. Quintin. Ross lives in a suburb of Perth, Australia, with his lovely wife, Jan. They have three grown daughters and a few grandchildren that they dote on.
I guess ‘guy’ is not the proper term for Ross since he’s a dyed – in-the-wool Aussie. Bloke would likely be more proper, or maybe fella. But to me, he’s a mate, since that’s more often the term Aussies use for a good friend.
Here’s the ironic part, though Ross and I have been friends for over 25 years, we’ve never met in person. Way back in the 90s Ross and I belonged to an online marketing program that was paying us a few dollars every week and was showing promise of increasing over time. Then, out of the blue, the owners of the program changed the payment plan, and everyone’s income took a dive.
Being the mild-mannered, soft-spoken individual I am, I wrote a letter to the group’s inner messaging app. Well, actually, I tore a bit of a strip off them. Ross immediately responded to support my diatribe, and we started a correspondence that has continued up to the present day.
Of course we talk about the usual stuff. The weather is a common topic (he’s usually complaining about the heat and I’m usually complaining about the cold and snow). Ross reckons he’d gladly put up with snow for a while, especially on days when it’s so hot the flies are dropping dead. I know for sure I wouldn’t be able to withstand that kind of heat, so I don’t even pretend to be jealous.
Of course we talk about our families, especially our two brand new, hardly broken-in yet, great grandchildren. We talk about our gardens, his art, my woodworking and lumber-cutting projects, our individual health concerns, and of course, the two-legged cancer terrorizing the US and the entire world.
Through it all, we’ve remained civil and respectful of each other, though we don’t always agree on everything. We show interest in each other’s lives and families. All the things real friends do despite never having shaken hands or shared a beer.
Ross has had a few unpleasant experiences with social media over the years, especially FaceCrack so he chooses not to have anything to do with it. I know he’s not alone in this. My brother and his wife refuse to use it as well, and many more are opting out every day because of the trolls and spam and utter vitriol that pours out of the creases of that site.
Marilyn and I decided we would try to find a better answer for seniors especially, so we created the Canadian Senior Moment Newsletter and social website. Guess who was one of the first to pitch in and support us? Yes, Ross, of course, and he’s not even a Canadian.
Ross even sent us an article last year telling us about his painting hobby. We published it on 13 July 2025. It’s called Colour and Light: Becoming an Amateur Artist. You can read it and see some of his beautiful paintings by clicking HERE.
So, thank you, Ross, for your support for our website. Thank you for the article and all your other submissions to the site. But most of all, thank you for your friendship.
Howdy Bill
Many thanks from your brilliantly interesting write up and kind comments.
Yes we have enjoyed an interesting interaction, haven’t we, during the past thirty years or so. Back in the primordial days of the internet! A safer institution before the scammers and criminal element stuck their evil fingers in the pie.
While I’m not a Canadian, but a dyed in the wool Aussie, it’s a privilege to be able to contribute to a Canadian venture. Our two fantastic nations will always be the best of friends and have each other’s backs!
Here’s wishing huge success to you and Marilyn in your new venture.
Cheers
Ross