Cyrill | Waiheke Island
“I was adopted out many, many years ago, and I’ve come back home. I guess not connecting back to my family earlier would be one of the, one of my regrets, but you know, it’s never too late.
I have yet to meet them (parents), so I am in the process of taking the correct steps and protocols to find them. I was adopted out. There were certain laws, I think back in the day where we, that permitted privacy and information acts and stuff like that, so I’ve been led to believe. Now I think the law’s a bit more relaxed, and you can write, you can write away to want to meet your parents and stuff like that. So, if they agree, you can check it up, or you can just go hunt them down yourself, I think, which has, it’s been pretty exciting so far, and you know, a bit of a challenge. It’s taken me 45 years to do it this time, so another five or so years, or another year or so is not going to be much longer, I think.
It’s been pretty hard, I guess. You know, how could you explain it? It’s just that part of you, you feel that’s missing, that’s just not there yet. It’s always been there, but yeah just missing that sort of, that connection with them. That’s the main part, I think.
It’s just yeah, being able to connect, and say hello, I guess. Just take it easy, and just explain what I’ve done, and who I am, and ask them a few questions and how they’ve, how was life for them, I guess and mainly the reason why I was adopted out. That would be my first question, what happened in your life, and why was it so hard for you guys back then. I think it had to do with certain laws, and the age of my mother and stuff, so I’m led to believe. So there was a lot of, a lot of questions from, from me towards the, what would you call – the social welfare crew – the Government – the Crown, whatever you want to call them, the force of removing children off their parents, back in the day.
I grew up in a place Stradbroke Island, or Minjerribah, which is a small island off the coast of Queensland, and it was a beautiful island life. So, it’s the same as Waiheke. There’s lots more sand here and not as many hills, nice flat country. Just grew up in the water surfing, fishing, diving, all the sort of things that are, that happen around here.”
