FOR six weeks at a time, two young girls growing up in the 1950s would sit by their letter boxes, 16,000km apart, praying for the postman to arrive.

When he did, Dorothy Smith (nee Gillam) in Warwick, Queensland and Janet Bowyer (nee Hughes) in Warwick, England, would rip open their envelopes to find letters from each other, bordered with ink fingerprints.

The two girls were pen pals and would write to each other regularly, sharing stories of life across the other side of the world.

It wasn't until almost 40 years after they started writing that Dorothy and Janet actually met.

Now they are the best of friends and despite the nautical miles that separate them, have a friendship like no other.

"You really can't describe the friendship we have," Janet said on her recent visit to the Rose City.

It all started back in Year 6, when Dorothy was in English class at Warwick East State School and was asked to write a letter to All Saints School in Warwick, England.

"We addressed our letters to 'a dear friend'," Dorothy said.

"We didn't choose each other; we were just given to each other."

While most pen pals stopped writing as the years went on, Dorothy and Janet kept in contact, even as adults.

"I would get down in the dumps about it and say to my dad, 'why should I keep writing because we'll never meet', and he would say 'just keep writing'," Dorothy said.

Their initial letters were written with dip pens and ink, but before long the biro was invented.

The women first met in 1991, 39 years after they first communicated, when Dorothy visited Janet in England.

"The first part Janet saw of me was my feet coming down the stairs (of the hotel)," Dorothy said.

Janet said the friends hit it off instantly.

"Without thinking we both got into my car and accidentally left our husbands behind!" Janet recalled.

The pair visited Warwick East State School this week and shared their tales with the Year 6/7 class.

They told of their lives back in the 1950s and encouraged the students to be open to cultures around the world.

"I hope the school will start up this pen pal system again," Dorothy said.