Published: Tuesday, 29th May, 2007 09:02
KING OF THE CASTAWAYS
By Kirsteen Paterson
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THE family of Castaway king Jonathan Shearer are toasting his TV triumph.
Viewers voted the Vale man top of the reality show, and on Sunday night his coronation was completed in the live final.
The former RSPB worker sailed into deserted Great Barrier Island three months ago and set about building a community with 14 other BBC contestants.
Now his family are celebrating his success — and waiting for him to come home.
Dad Walter told the Reporter: `We always knew he would last the course.`
BBC audiences voted for the one castaway they felt had made the most of their experience on the New Zealand paradise.
And although originally derided as a ‘grumpy Scot’, Jonathan’s strong mind and independent spirit won him a place in the hearts of telly fans.
When the 41-year-old heard the news, he vowed that waving goodbye to the wild life was not the end of his story.
He said: `I have no idea what’s going to happen — there’s another adventure, and this one’s not just for three months.
`I want to live like this forever.`
Proud parents Walter and Mary watched the show from their O’Hare home, with sister Deborah tuning in from her home in Fife.
Walter says the changes in his self-sufficient son are plain to see: `He has got a lot slimmer and harder than he was when he left, but it’s not the physical changes that will stay with him, it will be the emotional and spiritual changes that make a difference to the rest of his life.
`He definitely proved himself to be the main character of the show right from the start.
`We were quite confident, but we didn’t want to get too excited. We did quite a wee bit of voting, but it takes more than the family’s votes to win something like that.`
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