>"Amid busy schedules, long distances and gaps between catch-ups, it can be far too easy to let old mates fall off the to-do list" “Before the pandemic, loneliness was already at pandemic levels. Forty percent of people in aged care homes receive no visitors. One in three adults suffer from social isolation. Loneliness is such a severe health risk suffered by so many people that the Australian government is spending tens of millions to combat it.” “As busy schedules, long distances and the length of time between catch-ups grow, it can be easier to let people drift off. Even if they are fantastic, you found them among the riff-raff and you share a history. Not every friendship is or should be forever, but surely maintaining our hard-earned friendships should be more of a priority? We shouldn’t need the risk of catastrophic health conditions in our future to stop us casually letting our friendships fall by the wayside. But as we get older and further away from the classroom, maybe that could be the nudge we need to pick up the phone, turn up to a mixed netball game with strangers, join a club and survive the agony of putting ourselves out there and asking “Will you be my friend?”