For ages Dorothy Anderson had seen a framed photo on the counter of Dublin Dealers, a second-hand shop in Whanganui.
The picture is of a young man in a sailor's uniform, and the photo is hand-coloured. It looks like the traditional photo taken before young men in the armed services went away to war.
Also in the shop on this particular day was a woman who asked the proprietor, Peter Hatcher, "When is someone going to give that young man a home?"
"He had obviously been on the counter for some time," says Dorothy. "So I said to Peter, 'I'll give that young man a home'."
She bought the photo.
That was some years ago, and curiosity has now got the better of her. She wants to know who he might be. "He could have family in Whanganui."
Does anyone recognise the photo or the young man depicted?
A black and white photo hand-coloured, it dates to probably World War II or thereabouts.
Please contact Midweek if you have any information.