My brother visits England

Mick, my birth brother, whom you may recall had emigrated to New Zealand years earlier, was not in contact with Ellen his mother or Theresa his sister, though they did know he lived in New Zealand at a place  called Mangonui.

Maria and I have been great friends with Mac and Wendy for a long time. I am godfather to his son and they all live in Dorset.  During one of our visits to see them I told them the story of my adoption and about Mick living in New Zealand.

Wendy' sister Lucy had also emigrated out to New Zealand many years ago. When Lucy came over for a visit we told her the story.  She was planning to visit Mangonui sometime in next few months and she agreed she would look up the name Parry in the local telephone book upon her return.

Amazingly she found him, and his address was eventually communicated to me and in 1996 I wrote a long letter to Mick introducing myself and telling him the story and he replied telling his side of the tale.

Before Mick left for New Zealand he was married in England and had three children who remained here when he emigrated.  His middle son, Keith was married in 1997 and Maria and I were invited to the wedding.

Mick came over for his son Keith's wedding, and also to meet me, his long-lost brother

Here we can see, from the left, Keith, Mick, me and Keith's brother Clive

It was quite a meeting, brothers and nephews together for the first time in forty seven years.  You can see my likeness to Mick and his sons.  My wife said we even walked in the same manner

While he was here he went off visiting friends from his past and at the end of his stay we met up again at the airport to say farewell.  Maria said she recognized him from across the restaurant, even with his back to her, just by the way he sat, he was so like me