'We just clicked' - Intergenerational friendship defies Covid-19 lockdown isolation

October 1, 2020

A rather special friendship began when 80-year-old Sharon met 23-year-old Maddi.

When Covid-19 Alert Level 4 first began in New Zealand, many people found themselves isolated from friends and family.

But when 80-year-old Sharon met 23-year-old Maddi, a rather special intergenerational friendship began.

Their story started over lockdown, when Sharon signed up to the Student Volunteer Army's grocery delivery service, and Maddi arrived with the shopping.

The pair hit it off, chatting from afar before lockdown lifted and cups of tea were on the cards.

Now the groceries no longer need delivering, but Maddi still shows up to visit.

On how they became friends, Sharon says they "just clicked" and Maddi's visits were "very important". 

"Otherwise I didn't see anybody all week til it was shopping day ... nobody was about, it was bland unless you watched the telly," she told TVNZ1's Seven Sharp.

Sharon is now teaching Maddi to knit, in exchange for lessons on computers.

"I guess it's more the curiosity of each other's experience," says Maddi. 

"Although we just discovered that we both like whiskey, so we've got that in common!" 

Amongst the uncertainty of this year, one thing's for sure - it's easier getting by with a little help from a friend.

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