A smile beamed from Trevor Gollins' face as he watched the new film Stan & Ollie at Waikanae's Shoreline Cinema.
The 97-year-old loved the film which was made even more special by his connection with one of the world's comedy greats Stan Laurel.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy starred inmore than 100 comedies together in the early half of the 20th century.
Their creative relationship, fondly remembered by many as the comedy double act Laurel and Hardy, is examined in the charming biographical comedy drama Stan & Ollie which is based on the later years of their lives.
"As a child you never really connected with the significance and what a huge star Stan had been.
"Stan was always very polite, it was always like 'give my regards to Mrs Gollins'.
Trevor Gollins holds a letter from comedy great Stan Laurel. On the wall is a signed photograph of the comedians commonly known as Laurel and Hardy. Photo / Chris Gollins
"He sent a photograph for me one year which I have in a frame.
"I had a look at it the other day and it's got Stan Laurel's signature on it, and has Dear Christopher on it, but it also has the original signatures on the top from Stan and from Oliver Hardy.
"Oliver died in 1957 so I think Stan had obviously kept the photographs somewhere."
Stan, who would correspond with Trevor a few times each year, would write about what was happening in his life.
"Having watched the film, I can see a situation where he was probably pretty lonely in his latter years."
Chris wished he'd kept more of the correspondence.
"Dad kept quite a few, and then they came to me, and I kept a selection of them, and dad's probably wishing I had kept more."
