Penpals meet for the first time after 62 years

London, May 29 (ANI): Two women who became penpals as teenagers finally got an opportunity to meet each other after 62 years.

Joyce Sims and Waverley Neutze continued to write about each other's families through letters and never even spoke on telephone.

The pair finally met on May 27 after Neutze, 78, flew from her home in Christchurch, New Zealand, to visit the home in Weymouth, Dorset, of Sims, 80, and her husband John.

"I feel I know her so well, she's part of the family. We've grown up together really. We met our husbands, got married and had families at nearly the same time, and always kept in touch," the Times Online quoted Mrs Sims as saying.

Sims was 17 when she came to know about Neutze when she saw an advert for a penpal in the New Zealand Weekly News, while Neutze was just 16.

And until now, both the women have exchanged more than 400 letters.

They have shared the joys of marriage, children and grandchildren, but only after the demise of Neutze's husband, Alan, did they decided to meet.

"When we started writing we didn't think of travelling the way people do now, so we've never really thought it was possible to meet up before," Sims said.

"It's been lovely to finally put a face and voice to all those words," she added.

"I was a young farmer's daughter and I was looking for a penpal from somewhere exotic," said Neutze.

"I couldn't believe it when I got a reply from England, and I wrote back straight away. Back then we didn't realise how long it would last," she added. (ANI)