This Widower’s Ad For A “Fishing Mate” Will Make Your Heart Burst

Sometimes, all you need in life is someone to fish with. That's the motto of Ray Johnstone, a widowed pensioner from South Australia who posted an ad to Gumtree that's gone viral. The listing simply calls for a "fishing mate," someone to accompany Johnstone on his fishing trips, and once people got wind of the ad, they couldn't stop sharing. "My Name is Ray Johnstone Australian Im A Widowed Pensioner who is Looking For A Fishing Mate," the ad reads. "My previous fishing mate is now deceaced [sic] I am a Land Based Fisherman I have all the gear for all types of Fish that is required for Land Based Fishing." The 75-year-old, who recently lost both his wife and his best friend, offered to split the costs of the resources, like bait and gas, and was seeking to arrange a meet-up with a possible mate to see if they'd get along. Little did he know, over 50,000 people would view the post. "It gets a bit lonely just sitting around watching the TV a lot of the time," he told Yahoo 7 News about why he posted the ad. "When I started getting a few phone calls I thought it was because of my age, but they it kept going, and going and going." People all over Australia were volunteering to help him out, and some are even raising money to take him snapper fishing on the coast. Luckily, after hundreds of replies, Johnstone found his mate. It just goes to show there are plenty of fish in the sea.