MORE SUCCESS STORIES - CLICK HERE
"The search is over, I found him!"Oz Reunion creator finds the
family
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After administrating this website for over 6 years, and after countless reunions that Oz Reunion has been responsible for, finally the search is over for me. This website does work, and I can now say I am proof of that! It is a wonderful story of hope and happiness, especially for those still searching, but it also is a story with a touch of sadness. I had nearly lost all hope, until one day.... Please read my amazing story below and everyone should know not to give up hope in finding answers. There is always hope, and good luck with your search. Regards |
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"Who's the little boy in the photo with my Dad?" Mike Doroshenko asked his Mum in 1974. Today, his search is over for the half-brother he never knew, reports David Morris. Tears well as Mike tells of his amazing search for three decades around the globe for the boy on the trike, Nicholas Filonenko. A fortnight ago his search ended, but his questions have only just begun to be answered. After his father's death in 1974, Mike, sister June and mother Vassilia were looking through old photos in their Sydney home when he first learned he had a half-brother. "When you lose someone close to you, your family becomes important, even more so. You want to reconnect with them," he says. The discovery led him to set up Australia's first reunion website, www.reunion.com.au", which has helped many in similar situations to track down their loved ones. Still, for a long time, no news of Nicholas. "I was only 14 when Dad died and my search started," Mike, now 45, says. "Dad was Ukrainian and fought on the Russian Front. The Germans captured him and put him in a work party. The Allies blew up a convoy of trucks he was in and he played dead on the roadside among dead bodies. "A German officer went around shooting all bodies, cocked the gun at Dad but didn't shoot. He escaped and went to Austria. "During the War he met Natasha Filonenko in Austria; they had a son Nicholas in 1946. They lived together for four or five years; Dad immigrated to Australia on his own,” Mike explains. Ilija Doroschenko (Mike later dropped the 'c' by deed poll) went to Sydney and around 1952 Mike's half-brother and his mother followed. They met Ilija in Sydney and that's when the photo was taken. "I saw the photo and asked my sister and Mum," Mike says. Back then families kept past secrets. My Dad took all of that to his grave. Once he'd gone my mother was more open. She died two years ago. "Mum wasn't sure about Nicholas' mother's surname; she thought it was Flamenco and sounded Spanish. It turns out he took his mother's name, Filonenko, which made it virtually impossible to trace." Ilija and Natasha again separated for reasons unknown. Ilija met Mike's mother in 1955 and married in '56; June was born in 1958 and Mike in 1961. "I've only got good memories of Dad walking in his favourite park, Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens and taking me to the Sydney Opera House opening in 1973. It makes me cry when I see footage of it, remembering I was there with Dad." Mike's search for Nicholas began. He wrote letters to Doroschenko's in Australia, then all over the world. "After the internet started, in the mid '90s I searched for anything to do with Doroschenko. On websites I posted the photo with, 'Who is this little boy, help me find my brother'. "I started getting emails from researchers in Europe saying, ‘Did you know your family is part of a distinguished family in Europe and you have royal blood in you?' Two Doroschenko's were ruling Hetman (Tsars) in the 1600s, Cossack leaders; one united tribes to bring the Ukraine together as one. I found interesting stuff but not on my brother. I started to think he was not in the country or had long gone. I had lost hope… " In 2000 Mike launched the website Oz Reunion and it swelled year after year as searchers kept giving him information to post. "I knew many were out there looking for missing persons, lost contacts, adoptions, lost loves, descendants and school reunions amongst others,” he says. "It became a popular site and grew immensely. I started getting success stories of people who had found loved ones through the site. It motivated me to keep searching for Nicholas." Through Google, a Katy Filonenko from Melbourne had visited Oz Reunion - her father had told her that his family name was really Doroschenko - and she saw Mike's listing searching for his half-brother. She was amazed someone was looking for her father. Sadly, he had died three years earlier. "My heart sank when I got this email from this lady," Mike says. "It was a release after searching so long for answers. I responded anonymously as administrator of the website at first, with caution because she was the first person to respond to my listing in six years," Mike says. The clincher was a photo Katy sent of the little boy on the tricycle in a different angle; no one could have known the details, I broke down in tears. It's an amazing feeling after so long to know your search is over." Amazingly, Mike and his wife Toni have a daughter Katie and confirmation of the photo happened on her 10th birthday. They also have a son called Elija. "(Niece) Katy was shocked and very happy that she'd found me, so we had a couple of telephone conversations and lots of tears." A reunion took place in Sydney last month. "I have told Katy I would really like to get to know who her Dad was, to find out what he was like. (Learning of his death) was like losing another relative and was very difficult for me. "It's good to find answers; it's sad that he died without me being able to meet him, but it all happens for a reason." Mike will continue the website www.reunion.com.au. "Thousands are out there searching for loved ones. I want to give hope that they can find answers. The website works, I'm proof of that." ***STORY ENDS***  REUNITING
loved ones is all in a day’s work for Mike Doroshenko.
But after 30 years of searching, the dedicated man
behind the Oz Reunion website finally received a
happy ending of his own. The Oz Reunion website
creator caught everyone’s eye at Sydney Airport
in June, as he prepared to meet his 34-year-old
niece Katy Filonenko for the first time. Displaying
a sign reading: "Uncle Mike is here",
he stood proudly, waiting to catch a first glimpse
of his newest relative.And
Katy Filonenko, whom Mike described as "full
of beans", was everything he could have hoped
for. "It was quite exciting for me," Mike
said of the experience. "The ‘Uncle Mike’ sign
on my head added to the whole atmosphere of it.
It
was the only way I could think to stand out."
While Mike was ecstatic about meeting Katy, he admits
feeling butterflies before their long-awaited reunion.
"Meeting someone for the first time and not
knowing their history or what they’re like is quite
nerve-wracking," he said. Mike
first established the Oz Reunion website – www.reunion.com.au
– six years ago, in the hope of finding his half-brother,
Nicholas. As the site became increasingly more popular
and successfully reunited many others, Mike motivated
himself even more to complete his search. An
email from Katy, who had been directed to Mike’s
listing through a Google search, finally gave him
an answer. Sadly, Nicholas had passed away just
three years earlier, and Mike was devastated at
missing the chance to get to know his brother. But
at the same time, knowing his search was over and
making contact with Nicholas’s daughter gave Mike
a great deal of joy. After
meeting at the airport, Mike, Katy and her boyfriend
Craig began their journey by visiting Mike’s sister
at her Sydney home, where they shared drinks, stories
and tears. "We got acquainted there and went
through some photographs," Mike said with a
smile as he recalled the short holiday. Sharing
images of Mike’s father Ilija and Nicholas together,
was a moment Mike was happy to have experienced
with Katy. As Katy had missed out on meeting Mike
and Nicholas’ father - who passed away when Mike
was 14- this was a perfect opportunity for Mike
to share his memories with her. "My
father was Katy’s grandfather too so it was a combination
of a very long journey. It was nice that my sister
got to meet Katy too." The
pair spent the weekend together, where Mike who
was born and bred in Sydney, showed Katy all the
wonderful sights of the city. "We played tourists
for a weekend," he said. Mike described the
whole experience as unforgettable: "It was
very memorable … meeting like that for the first
time was such a fabulous thing to happen."
Of
Katy, he said: "She’s full of beans and full
of life, and it’s a real pleasure to start to get
to know her." The pair have already caught
up since their first meeting. Mike travelled to
Melbourne in August to visit Katy, her mum Christine,
sister Sharon, and Katy’s niece Kimberley. Happy
snaps capture these precious moments. After speaking
on the phone regularly, the pair have promised to
stay in contact and have made plans to meet up for
a third time, with Katy hoping to visit the Sunshine
Coast around Christmas this year. Although
Mike’s search is over and a new chapter of his life
has begun, he remains passionate about continuing
the Oz Reunion website. "I enjoy helping people
and my own experience has given me great motivation
to help others along the way," he said. "I
have spent many hours setting up the website and
I had no help from anyone at the start. Now with
over 500,000 hits each month, it has gotten to a
point where it runs itself. " Mike’s
website is a catalyst for all types of reunions,
including adoptions, missing persons and school
reunions to name a few. In the past, internet users
had turned to Oz Reunion as a last resort, he said,
and only then had finally found success in their
search. "It is a brilliant feeling and I feel
so privileged, he said of his small part in bringing
people back together. "It does make you proud
– the ability to change people’s lives is an immense
satisfaction and I will continue to do that. I think
that will be my legacy.” Mike’s
heart-warming tale is proof to those who experience
heartache that happy endings are possible, too.
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MORE
SUCCESS STORIES
REUNITED
Hi, I placed an ad on your website about 4 weeks ago, as a last ditch attempt to find my birth parents after almost 30 years of fruitless searching. About a week ago, I was contacted by a lady named Glenys, who had seen my ad on your site. She thought she may have found my birth
father. Yesterday, I spoke to my birth father for the first time. Glenys had contacted him for me at my request, and although he did not know about me, he was open to contact, and said I could phone
him. I am so very grateful to your site, and especially to Glenys, as I was worried that much longer and it would have been too late. My birth father and I spent an hour on the phone, and have arranged to send photo's, and to keep in touch, taking it one day at a time. So, thank you very much for the wonderful site, thanks to Glenys for all her help, and thanks for helping me discover who I am. Still looking for my birth mum, but it's a hell of a start. Kind regards,
Lisa Ryan 
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| I had an advert on your adoption website, looking for my adopted brother - sadly I found out just recently that my brother died in 2002 at the age of 37. On a positive note, although heartbreaking to find my brother had died, it was through a contact to your site that we discovered the truth, and although sad, at least we do know where and when he died, and quite a lot about his life. So we take comfort in knowing who he was, that he was happy and well loved. I now have contact with his adoptive mother and sister, and I feel that although I have lost a brother, I have gained a sister..so Thank you. Terri Shanks | |
| Thankyou so much, my sister just called me, I have one sister and a half brother, and my parents are well. I am so pleased with your web site, I had been looking for many years. I am now 39yrs old and have finally found my family. Katisha Forrest | |
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Thank
you so much , today I spoke to my son for the very first time, oh
joy to finally get my one wish i.e. to learn that he was and is
and always will be part of a beautiful and very loving family ,
into which he was welcomed with so much love and joy ,since I had
to let him go in
February 1969. I now live on the other side of the world,
but as soon as I was informed that he was willing to speak to me,
I phoned and we talked for nearly 2hours.What a wonderful young
man he sounds, we will be in contact with each other again soon
as he is going to write and send some photo's of himself and his
two fantastic son's. I have been trying to trace him for years,
and have had my listing on your site a very long time and just by
sheer chance my listing was spotted and I was then sent his details.
Again thanks a million, and to all your listers don't ever give
up hope, and good luck to you all. Thanks
for your wonderful site as without
you I would not have traced |
my wonderful son and grandsons.
We have
not met up yet and it will be at least a couple of years before
I could make trip to Australia and my son is not in financial position
to come here for a few years yet.We are in regular contact via phone
and now that he has email again we send messages. My two lovely grandsons
are in regular contact with me via email and I am so happy. My daughter
has also been in touch with her big brother and two nephews ,as
she sends family newsletter couple of times a year to family and
friends and included them this time. All my dreams would come true
to finally meet them. Oh my God, I had a phone call from (ABC TV)
and they want to fly me out to Australia to meet my son Jamie in
person on their show. How can I ever thank you enough for your wonderful
site and your help in setting this up for me. Sorry, I know I am
rambling on here, but it is just so unbelievable that something
so fantastic could be happening to someone as ordinary as me. Here
I am an overweight 61 year old Grandmother, just about surviving
on a pension and completely out of the blue I need to start preparing
for a trip to Australia, without having to sweet talk my bank
manager for a top up loan. Is this for real, wow*** I am so excited and so looking forward to meeting Jamie after
38yrs.of longing. This is better than winning the lotto!!. Thank
you so, so much for your marvellous site, my son Jamie and I met
for the first time in thirty eight and half years, on 17th August
at Adelaide airport, oh what a wonderful moment, we hugged
immediately and I truly thought my heart would burst with love and
pride, that this fine young man was actually my son. The pure joy
of that meeting will remain with me always. I spent two weeks in
Adelaide, the first night at a hotel and then my boy wanted me to
stay at his house for the rest of my trip. I must be the luckiest
woman, we had such a lovely holiday together and I am already
planning on another trip in 2009 all being well. Cheers and many,
many thanks from Ireland. Phyllis |
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Thank
you for this great website. My name is Gary
Sturdy. When I was little my birth mother disappeared from my
sisters and my life this was 1963 .. my dad had remarried and we all
moved on. We have both been on a long and exhaustive search trying
to piece together the puzzle Kept coming up empty, until Kim
stumbled across an entry on Oz Reunion in the Adoption Register. She found a name & looked it up, and
low and behold all the information that we have SO DOES POSSIBLY ONE
OF OUR LONG LOST SIBLINGS who we know nothing about. This is the first real
breakthrough in nearly 40 years and
the first small piece of info that has come across our paths. Thank
you to the website hopefully we can get the rest of the puzzle
solved and move on. This
has given us plenty of hope and has made us all a family again
..it has changed all of our lives Regards Gary
and Kim. |
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| My mother (Valerie Isla Mirams) abandoned me, in a box, all those years ago. It is truly amazing and to have the opportunity to put the story out there and to be reunited with my family is ALL as a result of your fabulous website and the work that you and your employees do. Thank you so much and I know that God has a special place for you all in heaven. Keep up the great work. Julie Seinor. | |
| After only 2 weeks on OZ Reunion, I found my mother, 2 sisters, a brother, 2 nephews & 3 nieces and an aunt & so far, things are going really well. To the angel who helped me find my family, I would like to say thank you so much for all your help. To others who are still searching for their families, please don't give up hope, have faith that you will find your loved ones, they could be looking for you too. Mike keep up the good work, your site is invaluable and you have helped so many people find their families, it's great to know that you care for so many people. Kathy | |
| I just wanted to contact you to let you know how much I have appreciated this website... Thanks to your website and a special lady who took an interest in my add, I have found my natural daughter that I gave up for adoption over 34 years ago. We have just made contact with each other last night via email and I am confident that there will be a meeting in the near future.. My add is in the adoption section. Thank you again, this has been the best $20.00 I have ever spent in my life..... Best regards, Suzanne Brown | |
| Hello there. I have a listing in the adoption register. My birth mother has since contacted me and we are communicating, which is absolutely wonderful for me. Thanks to your site. I know that it is important for people to see that great success is possible from your wonderful site. Thanks a lot, Lisa | |
| Thanks to you I have found my sister. She was unaware that she had younger siblings (myself and two brothers, both deceased) it was very important to me and my children to find her. We have a wonderful relationship and have even been on holidays twice together. Her children thank me for finding them. But I thank you..... many many thanks Simone Wall | |
| I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your truly wonderful site. I have been looking for my father for the past 30 years with no success until I put a add on your site. I was contacted saying that some 1 had some information, I had 5 sibling 3 sisters and 2 brothers. It was more then I could ever have dreamed for. I have since flown to QLD to be reunited with my new family. Your site is a god send and I will forever be grateful that your site was there for me. Thank You Thank You. Kylie Heron. | |
| Hey
there! Just wanted to let you know that because of your site, we
have found my husband's biological mother and are currently in
contact with her. Our Ad was under adoptions register. Thank you
very much for your wonderful site. It has helped us so much. Belinda |
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| Hello, I can't thank you enough for your service. I am a birth mother, and have had a listing with you for about 2 years. Although Joshua didn't see the listing another person did, and contacted me with details of his current whereabouts. We are in the process of making contact. Thank you for the service. All the best Helen Stevenson | |
| I posted an ad with you to find my husbands birth mum, finally after about 2 yrs I have had some info through an email claiming they know of her and her whereabouts. We left a number on a answering machine to give me a call. It was the call that she had longed for...It was her...and as fate had it she lives in the same town....So we headed over...it has been 34yrs since she has held my husband ( he was 2yrs old ) when he was separated from her. THANKS A MILLION. it will give others the hope to find their missing loved ones. We are all getting together this weekend for a big family bar b q. He has sisters, brothers and cousins who are all coming ....we can't wait. Debra Morrison. | |
| Success!!! Yes thanks to your website I was contacted by my sister (we had both been adopted) and obviously had never met. We have conversed by e mail and phone all in the matter of only 24 hours and we are planning to meet each other very soon. Thanks again for helping to make this happen. Lynne Jarvis | |
| My lost love and I have been busy catching up over the last 20-30 years . Its been fantastic to say to least to be able to connect once again so my sincere appreciation for your all your help and the inspiration of the web site. Keep it up! Kindest regards, Linda | |
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Hi there, My name is Trisha Lynne Garnett and I
had a listing on your adoption website. My son and I have just (last night) reunited successfully thanks to your reunion site.
My listing in the ‘Adoption’ section of Oz Reunion was posted
for a very short 5 months. What a fantastic website. Thank you Oz
Reunion. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Ciao and thanks forever Trisha & Mark
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| I am the birth mother of Fiona Linda CORK born Atkins. We have made contact after nearly 40 yrs, with lots of tears, great joy and much happiness. Thank you Oz Reunion, I only found your web site 6 weeks ago ,Fiona and I have been searching for each other for many years. Thanks, for your site kind regards Anne Coulson | |
| Thanks to Oz Reunion, we found Garry Brown, thankyou for your site, cheers from Kay Smoothy | |
| It was quite an emotional reunion via phone. Been 35 years since we last saw each other. Thank you so much. You really are an angel.. what a wonderful way for people to search for lost friends, lovers and family. Sending you a big hug. Laura. | |
| I would just like to thank Mike for this site, through this site I have found my 2 sisters who I have been searching for over 30 years, prior to finding this site, I had hit a dead end in my search, now that we have found each other, we chat every single day and I am at the moment trying to save up to visit Australia, I live in Scotland. So once I get to meet my sisters in the flesh I will send Mike some photos he can use on the website. If you are searching for a lost loved one, please don't give up, look how long it took me, and now that I have found my sisters, the missing parts of my heart have been restored, once again a huge thankyou. Denise Higginson. read the press release, click here | |
| Well I cant say enough about this site ... I posted here nearly six years ago and finally I found my family being my birth mum and two older sisters , distance is a problem to be reunited BUT the internet is a great thing and makes distance not seem so great. Thanks for all your hard work Mike...you are an inspiration and I wish you all the best. Thanks Di | |
| Thanks to your wonderful website I have recently come in contact with my biological family. It turns out that I have two half-sisters that I never new existed and my sisters only found out that I existed approx. 1 year ago. My half-sister from NZ saw my details on "Oz Reunion". Hence, she saw my details only a few weeks after I registered! So I finally get to meet my birth Mum after almost 40 years. Spoke to her for the first time yesterday which was a totally amazing experience. So Mike that's my big news. A life long dream come true for me!!! Thanks for all the fabulous work you are doing in bringing families and friends together. Regards, Margot Rogers. | |
| I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your website. I only found out that I had an adopted sister a year ago. She is now 40 years old and I was dying to find her. I stumbled on your site and wow!! there was an ad from her looking for my mother. The ease of contact after that was so wonderful. Thank you for reuniting so many families and bringing joy and happiness to so many. Thank you, thank you. Many Regards, Christina den Hollander | |
| I am just writing to say that I have made contact with my Adopted Son as a result of your site, I will be forever grateful for the opportunity your site has given me, I was searching for 41 years. I received an email from him, saying he was the person that I was referring to. I have had tears of joy for the last week, the day I got the 2nd email, I cried & cried & cried, my eyes were so red, I could not believe my luck after 41 years. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you and I hope all the others out there that are looking for their lost one's will have the luck I have had. I feel like I have won Lotto or the Lotteries, it's just wonderful. Keep up the good work I have nothing but praise for this site. One Happy Birth Mother, forever Grateful. Denise Begley. | |
| Using your lost contact site, would have to be the best move that I made. Recently my father logged on to the site and found my paragraph. After 34 years apart, contact via email has finally been made and a lot of unanswered questions have and will be answered. Thank-you for being there for me to find, and Thank-you for being there for Dad to find. He is alive and well! Julie Thompson | |
| Thank you for your site. Today i was contacted by the BROWN descendants through query they made to your site following the earlier query on WERREY that i previously posted to your site. Without your site i could not have made contact with them - since they have Victorian and Western Australian links now and thus would never be found in South Australia no matter how long i looked. Your site is most appreciated Regards Suzanne Maiden (Sth.Australian Public Trustee Office) | |
| I just wanted to let you know that contact has been made with Members of the Taylor family. Can't Thank you enough for the site. Hope other have as much success. Dianne Handley | |
| Only just received the good news that you have been successful in locating my relatives over in Australia, as I have not logged on to the Oz reunion web site for quite some time, so I do apologise for the delay in gettin' back to you. I was amazed to learn that it only took three weeks too!! that's great goin'. look forward to hearing from you soon. with many many thanks, Dawne. Derbyshire (England) | |
| I've had success. A great site, with lots of value for the price! Arthur Willemse. Secretary, 6 RAR Association | |
| Thank you for all the your help with getting me back in touch with Dawne. I finally got word from her this week, and the e-mails have been going back and forth many thanks again. Ian Whittaker. | |
| Oz reunion does really work, I have just received my first email from a dear friend that I have not spoken to in 30 years. What a surprise. Thanks again for a good service. Doug Lewis | |
| I'm just writing to say thankyou. Through your website my mum has found her brothers and sisters. This weekend we had a reunion in Port Macquarie were my mother, myself and sister met her sister and brother and there children and our children, altogether 20 of us. We had a fantastic time and had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people who we can now call our relatives. I now have 11 cousins I didn't know about and 1 aunty an 3 uncles I never know about. My mother is over the moon and has caught up on a lot of history and information she never new. Once again thankyou for your help in finding them. Kate Boon | |
| I found my Daughter, thank you. A lady saw my advert for Joy Whitaker and phoned me up and told me a phone number ,but she wasn't sure it was the right number. So I tried it and ,I found my daughter. Well just to let you know. Regards Graham Martin. Reunited By An Oz Reunion Angel | |
| Yes, it's true! A lady picked up on my surname, lived not far from my search area, phoned around the surname concerned and HEY, it was my friend. We lost contact about 26 years ago and haven't seen each other since my friend emigrated in about 68/69. We have now made contact and i am in the process of writing to her (she is not on the net). I'm very grateful to your site and to this lady. THANKYOU. Reunited By Marny - An Oz Reunion Angel | |
| Thank you so much for helping me find my sister. We spoke for the first time last night and I'm still trying to come to terms with actually finding her after so long. Keep up the great service and thanks again. Trish Forbes. | |
| HADLEY, Linda. I
am looking for a childhood friend, who I believe lives in Perth. My
name is Beverley Hockton, and I live in the U.K. I last made contact
with her 10 years ago by mail - mail returned since. Wish to be
reacquainted.
REUNITED
by Channel 7's Undercover Angels |
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Thomas M.Fairfull is Reunited with David Dermody after 34 years apart
I posted
this not long ago, and do you know what!!? Your website works!! FOUND HIM!!
At least an "Undercover Angel" did!! We've been together for the first
time in 34 years, and he's not dead!!!
He's just as beer-drinkin',
bad-mouthin', ornery as he ever was!!
 Simone Kessell from Channel 7's Undercover Angels, Reunites Thomas & David, after Thomas posted his listing with Oz Reunion |
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Dear Mike, God bless you for this.
It would have never happened without your website. Not only did I
find the only man who mattered that I served with in Vietnam, but also
my cousin in Queensland, who's more a sister than a cousin. So
thanks OZ REUNION, thank you from the bottom of this old soldier's heart...But meanwhile, I cannot thank you enough.
I have thought of my brother so very often over the years, and it was
your site, that brought us together again.
I don't know where the bloody hell Coolum Beach is, but it has to be
somewhere near Paradise. Thank you seems insufficient, but thank you
nevertheless. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Good on ya!! Aloha nui
loa, Dear Thomas |
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