Australians think we are the friendliest people on earth. The truth is most of us are strangers to each other. Loneliness, the blight of isolation, is more common than ever.The Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby asks “All the lonely people/Where do they all come from?” There is an answer. They are our neighbours, often the people we walk pass every day, who rarely hear a “good morning” salutation from us.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles