A stepdad with a 'serious' snoring problem was forced to dish out care packages which included earplugs on a long-haul flight by his 'cheeky' stepdaughter - who feared he would annoy other passengers.
Self-employed Alan Tattersall was heading to Texas, US, for a business trip last month on what would be a 32-hour journey from Melbourne, Australia.
Despite being relieved to enjoy a peaceful night's sleep, his 17-year-old stepdaughter Grace Smith and wife Ros Tattersall pitied his fellow travellers, who would have to put up with the loud snoring instead. Rather them than you guys...
Grace and Ros, 54, created 10 mini care packages for him to hand out on the flight - which included two chocolate bars, a pair of earplugs and handwritten apologies.
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Their notes read: "Hi. Enjoy your trip today. We thought you might be in need of a little assistance if Alan falls asleep - so hope this little care package helps.
"Love and blessings, Ros and Grace. P.S. the snoring usually only lasts a short time - while he falls asleep."
Imagine being this thoughtful.
Alan had initially refused to accept his snoring was so loud that even Grace could hear it from her room, but soon the 62-year-old took their complaints on board.
Grace, from Shepparton, in Victoria, Australia, said: "At times, Alan's snoring is pretty loud. It's when he's falling asleep - it can be pretty serious. He was in full swing one night before he left [to go to Houston], which is what convinced us the packages would be a great idea.
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"He was due to take his first international flight a few days later. I'd heard of mums giving out little care packages when they have babies on planes - acknowledging that their infants might be crying.
"He's used to me joking around and we thought it'd be a good idea to make some packs for Alan to hand out before take off."
When Alan returned home, Ros and Grace were delighted to see he had only brought a couple of the packs back - after reluctantly handing the others out to his fellow passengers. Anyone reckon he really just chucked the earplugs and ate the chocolates?
He even appeared to brighten one woman's day with the small offering, as she chuckled to herself after reading the note.
Grace said: "We made around 10 and he only brought a couple of them back. Inside each one we'd written a little note for the passengers to understand what they were for.
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"There were two chocolates and some earbuds as well. My friend came with me to buy the supplies and found it hilarious too. She was all for it."
Oblivious to the racket he made when he hit the sack, Alan was surprised when Grace and Ros handed him the packs before he left for the airport.
Alan, also from Victoria, said: "They were very cheeky making the care packages for me. I knew I snored but I didn't think for a moment it was that bad.
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"I was flying from Melbourne to Houston - it's quite a long flight. On the way back it was about 32 hours, including three stopovers, so I thought I'd better give them out.
"One of the problems I had is when people get on planes nowadays, they're immediately watching a film and putting their own headphones on anyway!
"The passengers really weren't into communicating very much, so I had to give them out at the beginning before take off.
"I handed a packet to the last person and she opened it up straight away and read the note. The others just thought it was strange and didn't know what to say, but she chuckled to herself."
Topics: Australia News, News, Australia