Llanharan man travels to meet adopted brother in Australia

It was a 10,000-mile, 23-hour journey for a reunion more than 60 years in the making, but Russell Gower finally met his big brother in person for the first time.

Earlier this month, Russell, 64, traveled from his home in South Wales to Brisbane, Australia, to meet his brother Peter, 69.

But far from being awkward, she described the moment as a completely “natural” feeling, adding that there was “nothing but joy.”

The reunion of the long-lost couple will now be officially celebrated with a huge family bash in Brisbane on Christmas Day.

Both men were born in London to parents Ray and Jill.

Peter was born when Jill was just 15 and the couple had not yet married; In the 1950s, this meant he was adopted and taken to Australia, where he grew up.

Ray and Jill, who have both died, went on to marry after their first son was adopted, having their Russell a few years later, followed by their sister Jackie, who also died.

Peter spent most of his life in Australia, unaware of the truth about his birth family, until his adoptive sister told him in recent years.

His grandson in Australia then tracked down Russell, who had lived in Llanharan, Rhondda Cynon Taf, for more than 30 years, and DNA tests were carried out to confirm the link.

When Russell was a teenager, his sister told him she had an adopted brother, but his mother never made a direct statement about Peter.

In 2007, with just days left to live with terminal cancer, he told her: “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Russell believes this was to tell him about his brother, but he died before he got the chance.

She said: “My mother was obviously deeply traumatized by this incident, although I would never have known that.

“She finally told my sister. I don’t know how she survived losing her baby under these circumstances.

“Every day he must have wondered what she was doing. What was his first day at school like? Did he have children? It must have been very, very difficult for him.”

Russell, a retired retail operations manager of a bakery, is married with a daughter but traveled to Australia alone for a first date.

He had tried to track down his brother in Australia several years ago, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

The moment when both men, who are strikingly similar in build, met and shook hands on the road to Peter’s home in Brisbane, was recorded on camera by relatives who helped organize the encounter.

The entire extended family of 17 will now come together for a full celebration on Christmas Day.

Russell said he was cautious before the meeting, but his brother said he bore no ill will or hard feelings about the adoption.

He described his feelings before the encounter: “We really had nothing in common other than blood.

“He lived a completely different life on the other side of the world and had a completely different upbringing.

“I was a little worried about how it would go, but my concerns were quickly put aside. It felt natural from the beginning.”

“I knew when I shook his hand and he put his arm around my shoulder. There was something about it. It was like we had the same connections.”

She said they both got “a little emotional” when she told Peter it would be their mother’s 85th birthday.

“It was pure coincidence that he and I spent quality time together on his 85th birthday. The stars aligned,” Russell said.

“I’m sure he would have been delighted to see his two sons out drinking beer and chatting. “He was like gold dust.

“It really is fate. My whole life I might never have found it, and suddenly here we are.”

With “a long way to go,” the duo begins to wonder if the three-week visit is long enough.

“This changed my world,” Russell said.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time. It would be great any day of the week but to be invited there for Christmas is really special.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I’m going to have a barbecue with my brother on Christmas day. It’s incredible.”