The tale of Little John: Part 2
Reunited with his dad after 25 years apart
This week I’m back revisiting a story from previous weeks.
Little John, the 57-year-old man who loved in a cave near Outram on and off for the last decade, has been in touch several times since my visit.
That comes after his father read the story and contacted a local Foodbank to track down his son.
Longtime supporter Michelle Kerr, of the Mosgiel Community Foodbank, said “it is a huge step for him’’.
Little John said he knew his father’s address, but had not visited his home since he returned south to live.
It comes after another family member contacted me after the story was published.
His Australian-based sister told Stuff that “it feels like a weight has been lifted, no longer fearing the worst and wondering where he was’’.
That led to me picking up Little John at Outram on Wednesday morning.
It’s a cloudy day, and he is chatty during the 25-minute ride, but becomes quiet as we approach his father’s address.
I pull over, tell him I’ll be across the road, and watch him cross.
As he knocks on the door, a man opens it and says “come on in”.
That was the moment when the man known as Little John saw his father for the first time in 25 years.
I took this photo and left them to it.
Last month I wrote the story of Little John, who has lived in a cave near the Otago township of Outram over the past decade, after trying unsuccessfully to find him for several years.
And thanks again to Cr Mike Lord for helping - I still owe you a beer (or was it beers?).
Despite not seeing each other for a quarter of a century, father and son were reunited on that Wednesday morning.
It was also when he would learn his mother died of Alzheimers in 2019.
During our car ride to his dad’s home, he told me there were no ‘‘major dust-ups’’ between his family members, but their separation came after the death of his brother.
That death, unsurprisingly, ‘‘was just so hard on the family’’.
After the collapse of a relationship and battle with addictions, he moved to the cave near Outram to dry out.
The cave is more like a ledge. It has a water source nearby.
And there he has stayed for much of the last decade.
It was in that cave, several kilometres from the nearest human structure, where he found peace with God.
‘‘I have been closer with my fellow Christians than I could ever be with my own family.’’
But he stressed that life had been ‘‘really good’’ since his story was published, including contact with his family.
It had helped break down some barriers with local residents, including some previously reticent motorists who now picked him up when he was hitchhiking.
A few weeks ago four young people went looking for him, but initially failed to find his cave which was located off a beaten track.
‘‘I heard someone yelling out ‘Little John’, and I replied ‘G’day’.’’
The four were quite surprised, he said.
Local children were also fascinated with his story of living in a cave, but Little John advised them that there were better life choices for them in the future.
But future offers of aspiring ‘cave women’, to share his lifestyle were ‘‘not as many as I’d like’’.
He had no plans to not spend the colder Otago months in the cave, ‘‘because I like the winters there’’.
The Outram area near Dunedin.
‘‘For me it's natural, and natural is healthy.
‘‘I don’t like being in unnatural environments, for me this car (points to the inside of my vehicle) is a toxic box that I’m suffering in.’’
Editor’s note: I blamed my kids for the mess.
Nor did he plan to claim the unemployment benefit, or eventually the pension.
The problem with claiming a benefit was that it would give him access to his addictions.
‘‘Booze and smokes . . . they have always been a problem, always will be.’’
Now he smoked and drank at a much lower level ‘‘basically because I can’t afford it’’.
‘‘For me it was a really big step, go off the dole and close your bank account.
‘‘This was a really powerful step to take . . . giving up on the Government support.’’
He previously told me he relied on about $500 a year from doing odd jobs, and utilised the Mosgiel food bank for supplies.
‘‘I live in a cave because it is free . . . and nobody bugs me there.’’
I’d like to make a shout-out to the city’s parking wardens, particularly the one I am currently engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with.
This week I noticed the warden, who lovingly writes the time in large chalk markings on my tyre, changed tack.
It was brilliant, and it almost cost me $12.
Quite by accident I discovered they had chalked the tyre closest to the footpath. Sneaky.
My Dunedin Tweet of the Week comes from Dunedin, Florida, which still manages to be warmer than the Edinburgh of the South on any given day.
This hits home due to the high petrol prices.
I have been dismissive of some YouTube clips about our great city in recent times.
That was until I discovered the GREATEST YOUTUBE CLIP ABOUT OUR GREAT CITY.
This features possibly the laziest vlogger of all time: Global Weezy, who has 35,000 subscribers.
This dude just watches another person filming himself walking around Dunedin and then provides inspirational quotes such as: ‘‘a bridge over train tracks . . . I’ve never seen that before’’.
Still, one of the funniest 16 minutes I’ve had in recent times.
Here is a Dunedin tune to wash that taste out.
As always, if you have something you want checked out, please email me at hamish.mcneilly@stuff.co.nz.
Love the humanity of this. Well done Hamish, Mike and Little John. A very thought provoking story. It deserves an award actually!