Thanks to a Heartbreaking Listing, This Widower Finally Found a Fishing Buddy

After losing his previous fishing mate, Ray Johnstone took to the internet to see if anyone would like to join him in his future land fishing endeavors. What the 75-year-old Australian widower didn't realize, however, is that his heartbreaking listing would end up attracting thousands of people interested in being his next fishing buddy.

On Jan. 19, Ray posted to Gumtree, an Australian classifieds site. He wrote, "I'm a widowed pensioner who is looking for a fishing mate. My previous fishing mate is now deceased." He added, "I am a land based fisherman. I have all the gear for all types of fish that is required for land based fishing." With his ad, Ray attached a selfie, as well as several photos of a beautiful coastline.

About a week later, Ray's touching listing went viral. It currently has over 80,000 views, and many people online expressed being moved to tears — all the while urging someone to be Ray's fishing mate, of course.

Well, it worked: in a follow-up interview with Yahoo7 News, Ray said he's received several phone calls: "When I started getting a few phone calls I thought it was because of my age, but they kept going, and going and going. This is something I never ever expected." Ray is now looking into meeting with some of the prospects who live nearby.