Brother and Sister Reunited After Almost 53 Years
Published: October 10, 2006
Julie Lane from San Luis met her brother Bruce Neilsen last week for the first time in 53 years apart after they were separated as children.
The reunion was the result of a lot of searching, but thanks to the internet and Bruce’s daughter Kirsty and Julie’s son Grant, the pair met at Julie’s home in Torrevieja as Bruce flew from Scotland to Alicante to meet his long lost sister as they recalled the story of how they were parted.
Julie was born during the war and never knew her Dad as he was killed in action. Her Mum and Grandmother ran a pub in Stamford in Lincolnshire. Towards the end of the war Julie’s mum married Bruce’s dad and he was born in Stamford in 1944. Unfortunately, Bruce’s dad died shortly afterwards and their mother, for reasons known only to herself, decided to let Bruce be adopted by his Scottish grandparents who lived in Ormiston outside Edinburgh.
Julie, her Mum and Grandmother, then made the move to Northampton and used to visit Bruce and his grandparents in Scotland nearly every year until Julie’s Mum remarried in 1953 and the visits to Scotland stopped and Julie and Bruce lost touch.
Julie married as did Bruce and their lives went in totally different directions. When Julie did try to track Bruce down, she found that without his exact date of birth or knowing which country he was in, she kept hitting brick walls. Then in February this year, Julie’s son Grant, joined Friends Reunited and subsequently Genes Reunited and from this it was discovered that Bruce’s daughter Kirsty had started a family tree. Julie emailed Kirsty through the confidentiality of Genes Reunited and she passed on the information to her Dad, who immediately got in contact from his home in the Highlands of Scotland where he has his own business linking cruise ships with golf tours and scenic tours of that area.
With the mystery of Bruce’s whereabouts solved at long last he decided to travel to Spain for an emotional meeting with his sister.
Having returned to Scotland after his week long trip last Thursday, the siblings have vowed to keep in touch. Bruce’s daughter Kirsty is planning her wedding in May and Julie and her husband Barry will be going to Scotland for the occasion; Julie’s first visit to Scotland since 1953.
There is still a lot of lost time to make up for and where better than in the Scottish Highlands with your own personal tour guide into the bargain.
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