Tom, 93, wouldn’t speak to his mate for days. A bird was to blame

2 hours ago 3

Former school principal Tom Mehigan, 93, and retired roof-tiler Jeffrey “Jethro” Brookes, 60 (and his lorikeet, Rosie), live in an inner-Sydney boarding house. They meet daily at a local cafe before heading to the park for a snooze.

Tom Mehigan, left, with Jethro Brookes and lorikeet Rosie.

Jethro: I met Tom about two-and-a-half years ago at our local cafe in Glebe. My first impression was how razor-sharp his mind is considering he’s in his 90s. We hit it off straight away and we’ve been meeting up twice a day for lunch and dinner ever since. We never need to cook.

After lunch, we’ll go to the park across the road and sit in the sun and enjoy the breeze and listen to the birds. It’s the highlight of our day. We don’t even need to talk. Sometimes he’ll fall asleep and I’ll just sit there next to him and we’ll just be.

When I met him, he was having a relationship with a lady named Patty. He met her on Tinder. She was a pretty good-looking sort for her age. Later, he moved into a one-bedroom unit down the road, but it was a bit of a hike for him to get to the cafe. So when a room came up at the boarding house where I live, I recommended it to him and he loved it. Now he lives down the hall from me.

I knock on the door every morning to check that he’s OK. He’s the oldest mate I’ve ever had. Sometimes it plays on my mind: am I gonna knock on the door one morning and he’s not gonna answer? He’s incredible, though. He’s got a zest for life. He walks every morning and doesn’t have any body fat. He’s fit. He loves Bach.

And he loves Rosie. He didn’t know a lorikeet could be so friendly and intelligent. Sometimes, when I take her to visit him in his room, she’ll sit on his bed or on his shoulder. When I was in hospital earlier this year for a knee reconstruction, he and Flo – the woman who looks after our boarding house – took care of her.

Is he annoying? Only when his hearing aid isn’t working. He’ll pretend it’s OK and nod away, but he won’t have a clue what I’m saying. Then I’ll ask him a question and he’ll just look at me.

We used to talk about politics, but he’s a Labor man and I don’t like Albanese. We talk about women a lot. He’s got a very active sex life. He’s a bit of a ladies’ man. Keen. He’s always trying to chat up women who come into the coffee shop.

‘He complained that Rosie was the centre of attention and he didn’t want me to bring her in any more. He was jealous of the bloody bird!’

“Jethro” Brookes on Tom

I’ve only ever had one big argument with him. There was a lady named Carol, who Tom had the hots for. One day, he was sitting at the table in the cafe trying to talk to her, but she was focusing on Rosie instead. He complained that Rosie was the centre of attention and he didn’t want me to bring her in any more. He was jealous of the bloody bird! We didn’t speak for a day or two. It was a bit silly.

He’s got a very caring nature, though. He’ll buy me a little slice of cake at lunchtime to take over to the park. Little things like that. I get a lot of feedback from Tom that I’m OK. He inspires me. He’s taught me not to worry too much about life and to just live in the moment. Just having him there makes me feel comfortable. Tom is that father figure I never had.

Tom: I met Jethro at the cafe. The owner, Mark, introduced us. My first impression was that he was a big, burly man who hadn’t had much education. He turned to me and said, “I think I can help you find accommodation.” He didn’t have the bird at that stage.

I own a house in Summer Hill, but it’s full of my adult kids. Then I rented an apartment, but I was lonely and it was too far from our cafe. Eventually, a room came up at the boarding house and Jethro encouraged me to go for it.

How did we become friends? Through his general demeanour, his friendliness, his willingness to be so supportive. I’ve had enough years of living to see that education isn’t the only thing in life. I’ve always admired people for what they do: nurses, teachers, retired tilers.

I sensed early on that he’d never had a wife or kids. I felt there might have been a few things that happened early in his life. If he wants to tell me in the fullness of time, he will.

He’s got a heart of gold, though. He knows about life; he’s seen it from the other end, from the rough end. I don’t know why he used to scarper from school, but he did. He didn’t have the family support that he needed. His father was a genuine pants man; I think it turned Jethro off marriage.

Rosie is vital to him. He rescued her from a cage and he has looked after her like a father looks after a precious child. I love her, too, even though she bites me on the ear and shits on my back.

‘He’s happiest when he’s with Rosie. He’s a caring father. The bird takes food from his mouth. I think, “Bloody hell!” but in a good way.’

Tom Mehigan on Jethro

Apart from talking about Rosie, we talk a lot about women. We don’t talk about politics, because Jethro is a right-wing Donald Trump supporter, and I’m inclined to be left. I don’t want to push my views on him. When Trump was up for his second term, Jethro said, “It’s a good thing.” I said, “It’s not a good thing; it’s a bloody awful thing!”

Meeting at the cafe and going to the park with Jethro is central to my life at the moment. We can either talk about things, including my interest in Carol, or just sit and snooze.

I can only remember one argument. A woman we both know who comes to the cafe wrote a note on a piece of paper, saying that Jethro should keep his voice down, and left it with the girl behind the counter to give to him. He was really riled up, so I wrote a message back to him saying, “Don’t take any notice of her.” It annoyed him that I’d write him a note, and he said, “You’re no f---ing better than she is.”

He’s happiest when he’s with Rosie. He’s a caring father. The bird takes food from his mouth. I think, “Bloody hell!” but in a good way. She likes me because I sit nice and still, whereas Jethro’s always getting up and down. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has ADHD.

I’d like to see him settle down with someone who he really, really likes. I do think he’s a bit lonely. I’m his only real friend. And the bird.