Guess who it is! Chris Porsz (amateur photographer) looks at the black-and-white photograph of a happy couple looking at a map. ‘That’s me and my wife.’
Chris took the photo as he and Lesley (then 20 years old) were planning a trip of 6,000 miles by hitch-hiking across Europe and North Africa.
Fifty years later — now married and still deeply in love — they recreated it.
Surprisingly, this is only one of the hundreds of photos Mr Porsz has recreated over decades. He tracked down his subjects and then reunited them with him. This has been a difficult task.
Most had no idea their pictures had been taken — and Mr Porsz certainly never thought he’d see them again.
In 2009, his work was published in the local newspaper. This led to him receiving messages from others who recognized himself.
Thanks to word-of-mouth and social media, he soon had hundreds of subjects for ‘reunion’ photographs, which he’s published in two books, Reunions and, now, Reunions 2.
‘The pictures are about the importance of maintaining family ties and friendships’, he said.
‘But also that life is precious and short, so make the most of it. Who knows what will happen in the lottery of life?’
As his 70-year-old wife has been diagnosed with bone and lung cancer, Porsz will dedicate the funds and books to Breast Cancer Research.
The books can both be purchased at chrisporsz.com
This photo shows schoolgirls Tanya Porter, Gulfraz Malik, and Mazia Ahmad walking to their primary school. They were accompanied by Gloria Steele, their beloved lollipop lady, as they walked with them.
Mazia (pictured at nineteen) is now 46, and she is married. Gulfraz is 47. Since then, they have been close friends.
When this photograph was taken, schoolgirls Tanya Porter and Gulfraz Malik were on their way to primary school. They were being accompanied by Gloria Steele (their beloved lollipop lady), when the photo was taken.
Mazia (pictured at nineteen) is now 46, and she is married. Gulfraz is 47. The two have been best friends since then.
After losing touch, they reunited with Tanya Porter (pictured at seven and Tanya Porter was 45).
Gloria Lollipop Lady helped children to cross the road seven years in the 1980s. ‘It was great fun re-creating the photo,’ she said.
‘So it brought back lots of happy memories. We had a good laugh and it was lovely to see the girls all grown up.’
Schoolgirl friends Toni Pignatiello and Teresa McPartlin were photographed on the ‘Sizzler’ ride at the Town Bridge Fair in Peterborough in 1985
When Toni and Teresa reunited for the photo, it was the first time they’d seen each other in more than 20 years
Schoolgirl friends Toni Pignatiello and Teresa McPartlin were photographed on the ‘Sizzler’ ride at the Town Bridge Fair in Peterborough in 1985.
‘A big gang of us went to the fair on the Friday night to celebrate our CSEs’, said Toni, now 52.
‘I was 15 and Teresa was 16.’
When Toni and Teresa reunited for the photo, it was the first time they’d seen each other in more than 20 years.
‘It was really lovely to see Toni again and we just picked up where we had left off,’ said Teresa, also 52.
Howard Marshall and Sharon Marshall (nee Bird), were looking for wedding rings in Peterborough, 1981. They were not aware of the photographer when they looked into the window.
Howard Marshall (nee Bird), and Sharon Marshall were shopping for their wedding rings in Peterborough back in 1981. The photographer was not visible to them as they gazed into the shop windows.
‘We identified ourselves from Sharon’s 1980s perm,’ Mr Marshall said, after finding the snap on social media.
They recreated it last year at the ripe old age of 60 and 62.
‘It was exactly 40 years after we got married,’ Mr Marshall added.
The trip of a lifetime. Chris Porsz, a photographer, and Lesley, his girlfriend plan their journey across Europe. (top) This was 50 years ago.
Paul Smith, then 19, was seen in the 1980 photograph of him in front a Ford Cortina at Cobden Street.
Paul Smith was just 19 years old when this photo was taken in front of the Ford Cortina on Cobden Street in Peterborough in 1980.
‘In the first picture I am a teenager and in the second, taken last June, I am a veteran!’ said Mr Smith, now 61.
‘Chris told me not to wear black so I thought it would be a great time to get this suit out.
‘The world has changed a lot since then’, he added. ‘People aren’t as loving as in the early 1980s. It was more relaxed back then.’
Now, Mr Smith has 2 children. He is also a radio DJ.
Zahida Parveen made it a tradition after school to race to the icecream van and get a vanilla swirl cone filled with raspberry drizzle.
She was not aware that she had been captured by Gino Borrillo in 1980, as he was giving her the treat.
Zahida Parveen’s after-school routine was to race to the icecream van and get a vanilla swirl cone filled with raspberry drizzle.
She was not aware that Gino Borrillo was the neighbourhood ice cream man who had captured her handing out treats in 1980.
Gino (73), and Zahida (47) reunited last May. Zahida, who now has three children in their 20s as well as a grandchild, said: ‘I can still taste the raspberry on my tongue.’
Borillo is the father of three and grandfather to four children.
‘I didn’t know about the picture,’ he said, ‘until Chris came into my shop and asked if it was me.’
Mark Court aged just two was caught feeding Matt, his 12-month old brother, a chip on the camera while Matt’s mother went shopping inside
‘When Mum saw it she was very emotional, it brought back a lot of memories,’ said head teacher Mark, now 43 and with three boys of his own
Mark Court, two years old, was caught feeding Matt (12 months) a chip on the camera while his mother shop inside.
‘When Mum saw it she was very emotional, it brought back a lot of memories,’ said head teacher Mark, now 43 and with three boys of his own.
‘When my own sons saw the photo it brought up conversations about how she left us in the pram outside alone.
“They were stunned.” But that was how it was back in those days.’
Matt, 41, added: ‘It was great to go back and recreate the photo last year and catch up with family. I’ve got a copy of the picture on my wall now.’
Thanks to the loan of his grandfather’s cap and chimney broom, nine-year-old Andy Ireland won the fancy-dress event at the Gladstone Street Carnival in Peterborough in 1981
Thanks to the loan of his grandfather’s cap and chimney broom, nine-year-old Andy Ireland won the fancy-dress event at the Gladstone Street Carnival in Peterborough in 1981.
Andy attended even greater competitions. He was sports physiotherapist for Team GB Tennis at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics, and was Andy Murray’s personal therapist for five years.
The same broom was used by him last January.