Retired journalist Julia Irwin had no idea she had a brother in the UK until about a year ago when Robert Norris from Portslade turned up as her closest match on the genealogy site Ancestry.com.
Julia was adopted by Australian couple John and Heather Irwin, who were on holiday in London at the time, when she was eight months old after her mother Kay Edmonds could no longer support her alone.
“I guess you could say I was a prized souvenir from the trip,” she said.
She was brought up in Victoria, Australia, with two adoptive younger brothers, a horse, a series of dogs and “plenty of freedom”.
She studied teaching at university and worked in the field for 15 years before studying journalism and working for News Ltd for the next 20 years.
Robert, a retired civil servant, was born in central London two years before Julia and was adopted by Gilbert and Stephanie Norris who had emigrated to the UK from the then Czechoslovakia.
Julia managed to find her birth mother in her late 20s but despite being in close contact for decades she never revealed her brother’s existence.
She finally discovered her long lost sibling when she did a search on Ancestry.com.
“When I contacted Robert by email he said he joined the site on a whim, not expecting to find a sibling,” she said.
“It was a bit of shock after all this time being an only child,” said Robert.
The pair, who are in their mid 60s, arranged to meet at the Wetherspoons in Brighton Marina while Julia was in the UK to see her last surviving aunt in Wales.
“We can have a coffee and then if we get along we can have lunch,” Robert said via Messenger.
Julia said despite the pub being busy she was quickly able to spot Robert due to the family resemblance.
“I had worried we would have nothing in common because like my adoptive brothers, Robert was obsessed with motor racing,” she said.
“After years of growing up with a backyard turned into a racing track, complete with chicanes, where my brothers emulated their favourite F1 drivers on their bikes, I was not really an enthusiast.
“Considering we were strangers, Robert and I had no trouble making conversation.
“He was clearly friendly and easy going, happy to chat over his glass of non-alcoholic cider.
“After a long career in journalism, I was used to talking to strangers. Let’s face it, we had a lot of catching up to do.”
Robert was keen to show off Sussex to his sister and took her on a road trip.
They went to the Royal Pavilion, Lewes, Seven Sisters, enjoyed “spectacular” panoramic views from Ditchling Beacon and many more must see spots.
“We also drove to Eastbourne,” said Julia.
“ ‘They say it’s the place where people go to die,’ Robert said. Needless to say, we didn’t hang around.
“Robert enjoyed driving and was prepared to take me to some beautiful far-flung places, including Sheffield Park and Garden, Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens in West Sussex, where we were thrilled to see a colony of Australian wallabies and all the way to the national trust property, Stourhead in Wiltshire.
“At the end of my five-day visit, Robert said he was ‘very pleased to have met me’.
“I was pleased to have met him too, and while we agreed to keep in touch, who knows when we’ll meet again. That 24 hour flight back to Australia was a killer.”
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