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Ron Miller, son of Corporal Joseph Miller, shakes hands with Alberto Toni. - Source: ONE News
A WW2 diary back in the hands of Alberto Toni. - Source: ONE News -
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A World War II diary has been returned from New Zealand to its Italian owner after 70 years.
The small town of Bagnacavallo turned out in force last week to see Taranaki farmer Ron Miller, the son of a New Zealand soldier, return the tiny, battered leatherbound diary to Toni Alberto.
The 96-year-old wrote the diary in 1941 while stationed with the Italian army in North Africa. It came into the hands of Corporal Joseph Miller, fighting on the other side for the Allied forces, after an Italian plane crashed in the Egyptian desert.
From there it went home with Corporal Miller to Taranaki and lived in an old chocolate box before being re-discovered and translated, prompting the family to try to find the original owner.
TVNZ's Sunday programme has been tracking the story ever since and travelled to Italy with Miller, whose father died 22 years ago.
Miller told the civic reception in Bagnacavallo: "Seventy years is a very long time and I don't intend to wait any longer. Alberto, it is my pleasure to present you with your diary."
The story has been widely covered in the region of northern Italy where Alberto lives and he has becomes something of a local celebrity.
Local dignitaries told Sunday that people could not believe the diary has turned up after so long.
* Sunday has the full story of the diary's journey home in coming weeks.
See part one of the story, before the trip .
