Durban — Studies have shown that music provides healing for your soul. This was indeed the case when 99-year-old William “Lance” Burrows, got an unexpected surprise when some of his friends that he lives with in a Durban retirement complex turned his favourite old Vera Lynn record into a new CD.
Burrows’s face beamed with happiness when he was gifted with his all-time favourite Vera Lynn CD that he had been playing since the early 1950s.
Burrows has been living in the complex for 37 years. One of his friends from the complex, Jacqueline D’Abbadie, said they decided to honour him with this gift because Burrows is a warm person who has compassion for people around him and loves to see everyone happy.
D’Abbadie said Burrows liked to collect old newspapers and cardboard to donate to the church.
“Burrows is a happy soul and everyone in the complex loves to be around him.
“He has a great sense of humour and he makes sure that he greets everyone he meets.
“He is always jamming to Vera Lynn’s songs and plays them out loud every day. It is not hard to notice that he loves the record so much,” said D’Abbadie.
She said they were grateful to have someone like Burrows in the complex, seeing that he is a World War veteran and sets a great example to everyone.
“We are grateful for the sacrifices and we want to show that to him while he is still alive,” said D’Abbadie.
D’Abbadie said when Burrows was serving in the Air Force, he was also a ground crew and worked in the workshop helping in repairing planes.
Among his collection, Burrows has an antique cupboard containing a variety of CDs from the 1950s.
Apart from his newfound family at the complex, Burrows has children and great-grandchildren who now live in Australia.
“When his daughter visits they always have lunch in his favourite restaurant in Glenwood. He also enjoys bowling and was a life member of Stella Park Bowling Club until four years ago.
“Even now he still walks to the club to watch bowling in the afternoons or takes a walk to the nearest supermarket,” said D’Abbadie.
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