The 30 year relationship between a gay swan and goose has been immortalised in stone
Thomas the goose and Henry the swan have been buried together
By Steve Brown
The 30 year relationship of a same-sex swan and goose couple has been immortalised in stone.
Thomas the goose and Henry the swan have been commemorated in bronze following their 30 year relationship on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand.
The inter-species same-sex relationship brought joy to many visitors at the Waikanae estuary and the two spent 18 years together before Henry paired up with Henrietta, a female swan.
Thomas helped raise 68 cygnets over the years and finally fathered his own babies only to have them stolen by another goose, named George, who raised them as his own, Stuff.co.nz reported.
It was reported Thomas even helped teach Henry’s cygnets how to fly.
He was moved to a bird sanctuary after he went blind and became a victim of swan attacks. When Henry died in 2009, Thomas was left heartbroken and could be heard occasionally crying for him.
Sadly, Thomas died last year but was buried next to his partner of 30 years.
Last week, a commemorative plaque was unveiled during an informal ceremony, Waikanae man Mik Peryer said.
Peryer added: “The council came to the party with the stone and our local funeral home provided the plaque, it was brilliant.
“It’s something that needed to be done, the story touched a lot of people, particularly that he was gay.”
