My Father Vanished After I Was Born Missing For More Than 40 Years Only Human

Tonight on Lost and Found. His dad was there when he was born, then vanished. Such a strong, self-fulfilling dream I've always had to meet my father. A secret he had to tell his siblings. That was a bit of a profound moment when I actually told them that I was a half-brother. What became of his father, the shepherd? I said, well I don't know any secrets, do you? The family conversation that changed her life. I had no indication whatsoever that I was not his daughter. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go! Does she know enough to find her birth dad? Absolutely nothing, just a name. All I've got is a name. And? He's like pretty much a stranger, which is quite weird, because he's my dad. Alone, with no family around. The scary part is seeing if he'll actually like me. If her dad had abandoned her, will he want her back? That'd be the best thing in the world. Families that are lost and found. I couldn't really sort of hide it any longer. They're always unpredictable. Oh no! Oh, that's going over. There is a way to make an entrance. My destiny. It was now a conspiracy of witches. Download Veely today. Hi, my name's Jeremy, I'm 42 years old. I'm looking for my biological father, Leith Macdonald. He came to my birth when I was born in Gisborne. It's been 42 years of searching to fill that void. I want to meet Leith and share the aspects of my life and my family with him. A man should never have to go through life not knowing who his father is, or even what he looks like. Jeremy Tumuana has a big, colourful family. One brother was in the SAS alongside Willie Apiata. Another's a butcher in Gore. One sister is an artist. And one had a big lotto win. And his mother has featured in a few New Zealand movies. All Jeremy knows is that Leith was a shepherd on the East Coast. A man who charmed his mother by bringing 12 sheepdogs when he came into Gisborne from Tokomaru Bay. But also a man who shot through the moment Jeremy was born. What do you know about your dad? Do you know what he looks like? Have you seen a photograph? I wouldn't know. What I've really learnt is from what mum has recalled. She said that I have similarities to him in appearance, but I've never really been able to build a mental picture of what he may look like. Jeremy was 11 when a relative told him that the man he called dad was not his biological father. I just felt that something just didn't fit. And that connect or that attachment wasn't necessarily there. When you found out that your dad wasn't in fact your birth dad, was there a sense of betrayal? How did you react? It was something I had to really deal with myself as a child. Something I kept secret from my own brothers and sisters for quite a while until I felt I couldn't really hide it any longer. That was a bit of a profound moment for them too when I actually told them that I was a half-brother. A bit of a shock for them. What were your feelings towards your birth father when you found out that he existed? I guess there's mixed feelings towards my father. Trying to understand how you could do that to someone, especially being a father myself, I couldn't comprehend not having a relationship with my children. What will it mean to you to meet your dad? Something that's such a strong, self-fulfilling dream I've always had, to meet my father. Just to meet and to see him in the flesh. Jeremy, who is divorced, is a health care manager and lives in Wellington. But he's hoping to move back to Christchurch to be closer to his three children. I track back through decades of old electoral rolls and find Leif Macdonald in Pongaroa in 1981. But then he disappears. When I check through National Cemetery records, I finally find the answer. He died in 1993, killed while crossing a road. Tragically, the driver was one of his best mates. My next stop is Melbourne. Leif Macdonald's death notice has led me to his two daughters, Tania and Amy. They've both recently moved to Australia, along with their mother, Leif's widow, and Amy's three children. Are you Tania and Amy? Yes. Who's who? Tania. Hello, Tania. Nice to meet you. I'm David, of course. Thank you. Grab a seat. So you two have a brother you don't know too much about? Yes, we do. Your mum told you about him, but what did she know? Mum told us about him a few years ago. So we knew we had a half-brother out there, but we just didn't know where or who or anything about him. We didn't know where to start looking at all. She mentioned to Dad a couple of times that he should try contact and find out where he is and stuff like that. Dad said he didn't want to disrupt the family just in case someone else was coming and he's got a father or something like that. So what sort of dad was he? He was good. He was laid-back, easy-going. A good laugh. He had a good sense of humour. He was always joking around with us and stuff. How does it feel to have a brother just pop into your life? We've lost a brother, Eddie. He passed away about 10 years ago. It's nice to know that he wants to meet. Jeremy did a video message which he hoped I'd be able to show to your dad, but sadly I can't. Would you two like to see that message? I'd love to see it. To see what he had to say? Yeah. Oh, my gosh, I'm so nervous. If you were to just push the button there. Hi, Leith. My name's Jeremy. I'm your son. We've never actually met, but it means more than the world to me to be able to share some of my life experiences with you and get to meet you and get to know you and for you to get to know my family. And hopefully for me to be able to meet yours, it'd mean more than the world to me to be able to do that. So hopefully we can meet sometime soon and connect and talk about everything that we've been missing out on. Well, he looks like a granddad, kind of. Yeah, he looks like a McDonald's family. He definitely does, yeah. He's actually one of our cousins, actually. So sadly your dad won't get to meet him, but would you two be happy to meet him? Yeah. Yeah, nice to, you know, want to meet him. Back in New Zealand, I asked Jeremy to meet me in Dannyburg, the area in Central Hawke's Bay where his father lived most of his life and where Jeremy spent time at boarding school. He's curious and nervous about why we're meeting here. He's hopeful I've found his dad. Sadly, I have news no one wants to hear. Jeremy Tumuana is looking for his dad, but he died more than 20 years ago. I have, however, found Jeremy's two sisters in Australia. He doesn't know anything of this yet. He's waiting nervously for me in Dannyburg. Finding your dad's always been very important for you. It's always a perpetual feeling of just wondering and why and how, and it creates a bit of a void because it probably wasn't a day or a week that went by without me thinking about that. You've never seen anything with your dad, not even a photograph? I've seen nothing in terms of images or anything, really. Well, your dad used to live in this area. Right. But I'm very sorry to tell you he passed away in 1993. Right. Yeah, no, that's really sad. That's really sad. Yeah. I had a sort of a feeling that that may be the case, so I just sort of feel those sort of things, but, yeah, I have wondered. I've got you here today because I'd like to show you where he is. Yeah. One thing I have for you, though, it's what you'd probably be very interested to see. That's your dad. Oh, yeah, I see some likeness there. Looks like a bit of a hard man, too. So it's the first time you've seen anything what he looks like? Yeah, totally. It's amazing. Doesn't look very tall. I'm surprised, really, but, yeah, that's— Wow. That's incredible. So if you were happy to, I'd like to show you where he's buried, pay your respects to him. Totally, yeah. Yeah, no, that'd be great. That means a lot, mainly because I just— I did want to meet him and, you know, understand a bit about myself, really, but I still can do that, I think. I just— I mean, it's good to sort of be able to connect to where he is, at least. So this is where your father's buried. There's one thing I didn't tell you. He did die young because he was killed in a car accident here in Dannyvirke. Now, this grave's just over there by the fence line. In 1993, you should be able to find it. It says I've got brothers and sisters. I see Eddie sadly passed away as well, so it'd be great to meet Tania and Amy. I'm very keen to meet you. They both live in Australia now, and one lives in Perth and the other one in Melbourne, and they would love you to come over and talk about your dad, and they've got a lot more photographs they'd love to show you. Oh, OK. Yeah, no, that sounds fantastic. Oh, jeepers. I'm just— Yeah, I'm overwhelmed, really. Buried nearby are other members of the Macdonald clan, grandparents Hazel and Donald. Jeremy has always had a good handle on his Maori side. Now he has the information to explore his Scottish heritage. A week later, Jeremy is heading for Melbourne. At 42 years old, it's the first time he's left New Zealand. And it's to meet the sisters he's only just been told he has. Yeah, one of the things I didn't tell you in Dannyvirke was that your sisters knew about you. Their mother had told them. The mother had actually encouraged your dad to try and find you at one stage, but he didn't want to walk into a family situation and think perhaps that you didn't know about him. Probably the same way for me. I was a bit hesitant if I had found contact. I was wondering whether or not it would be an appropriate thing to do, and, yeah, it's always something you wonder about. Your sisters are very keen to meet you. They've got stories to tell you about your dad. How are you feeling about that? I can't describe it. It's been 100 miles an hour of emotions, and I try not to cry or anything. More than 20 years after his death, Leif McDonald's three surviving children are about to meet for the first time. Oh, I feel so nervous. Still? No, maybe. Having to tell Jeremy Tumuana that his father had passed away wasn't easy, but now he's about to meet two sisters in Australia that he never knew he had. Oh, I feel so nervous. Still? Yes. If you were to look over your right shoulder and just a few yards down the wharf there, can you see a couple of young ladies? Go and say hello to them. Oh, my God. Hi. Nice to meet you. Oh, wow. Hi. Oh, man. Very nice. Nice to meet you. Crikey, you guys are short. So nice to meet you. Thank you for finding us. Thanks for bringing me. I'm speechless, actually. I don't know what to say. You guys are stunning. You've got the right brother. Hello. Thank you. How are you? I'm good. I'm over the moon, actually. I'm just here. I haven't been sleeping well anyway. Me neither. It's kind of a bit surreal at times. It's quite overwhelming. It's buzzy to know that he's wanted to find us and meet us, so it was kind of quite overwhelming to actually finally meet him. I was shaking. My heart was racing, yeah. I actually stopped breathing for about five seconds, I think, seven at the least, and, yeah, I was just absolutely stunned by the fact that they were there. The next day, Jeremy meets again with Tanya and Amy. They were both teenagers when their father passed away. This is how I remember him just before he passed away. Oh, OK. Yeah, it was taken quite a while ago, that one. That was before you were born, I think, wasn't it? Yeah. Yeah, he's only younger, eh? Yeah. He's probably 25 or something. Knowing that I've had two sisters and then meeting them was even better. Yeah, happy to piece that part of my life together. That's a good shot. The dogs. The dogs, yeah. Yeah. That was a station that he worked on. Worked on, OK. Hold it right. Jeremy says meeting his sisters was just as powerful as being at the birth of his children. That's it. Oh, my God, I can see myself in there. Yeah. Tanya, Amy and Jeremy have kept in touch, and Jeremy has since met an uncle, Leif Macdonald's only surviving brother, who lives in the Hawke's Bay, plus lots of cousins. I'll stand there. Jeremy never got to meet his dad, but Leif Macdonald's family have welcomed him home. That looks more like Kate. It's great to know that I come from a father that loved his children and he cared. So a new journey begins, really, a new chapter in the book for me. Hi, my name is Debbie, and it was about four to five months ago that I found out that my dad was not my biological dad. It is a mystery, it was a family secret, and I want to find out who my birth dad is. Good pulse. Yes, good girl. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go. Clever. Debbie Shoot is a 46-year-old property manager from Wellington. Tap, tap. She has a 16-year-old son, Trent, and is a keen dog lover. Tunnel, tunnel, tunnel, tunnel. In her spare time, she travels New Zealand, entering dog trials. Here, here. Sit. Debbie grew up in Whanganui. It was a very happy childhood, with a mum and dad who clearly loved each other, and two siblings. But recently, Debbie discovered there was a family secret that she knew nothing about. That's because the secret was her. So how did you discover that your dad wasn't your birth dad? It was about four to five months ago I got a call from my sister, and apparently my sister had known for a few months. Dad had told her. She went along the lines about secrets in the family. I said, well, I don't know any secrets, do you? And she goes, well, you must know the one that, you know, you are, you're not dad, you were adopted. And I said, no, I didn't know that. And at that moment, what did you think? I think it was a shock to her to find out that I didn't actually know either. She felt pretty bad about that. Your mum never told you. Why do you think she kept such a big secret? I would guess that my mum had her reasons. It was a long time ago. Dad took her in, and dad raised me as his own. So she would have thought, why do I need to change that? I do remember one time making a comment, man, imagine if you found out that you weren't who you really were. And she never said anything at the time. I remember her being there and didn't see any different looks or anything like that. So I was really sad, of course, when she passed. She was quite content to take that secret with her when she left. Debbie's mum, Christine, left home at 16 and moved to Greymouth. She fell in love with a man who was a few years older than her. Then she found out she was pregnant. And rather than give her baby up for adoption, she moved to live with an uncle in the North Island. Soon after, she met and married the man who would take her in and raise her baby Debbie like his own. It's a pretty major thing what your dad did. I think if anything, I cried and said, well, I love you more than ever for what you did. Good on you. He had no indication whatsoever that I was not his daughter. Same with his mum and dad. They were the best grandparents ever. They always treated us equally the same. If anything, I thought I was the favourite one of the family. So what do you know about this other guy? The other guy, my biological father? Absolutely nothing, just a name. All I've got is a name. In Dumbleton, a Wellington bank manager is Debbie's husband. He was right by Debbie's side as she dealt with the overwhelming news that her dad was not her birth father. It was definitely a shock because it must have been very difficult finding out that the father who's brought you up isn't actually your real father per se. But I think it would be fantastic for her to find her birth dad. I think she does want to know exactly where she's come from, why she is the person she is today. So with her mother now gone and her dad who legally adopted her and whose name is on her birth certificate, now not in the best of health, she's ready to find her biological father. I am his daughter. It would be nice to find out... Well, I know who I am, but find out what kind of person he is. And if I leave it for another 10 or 20 years, then I'm allowed to say, oh, you know, why didn't I? And it is curiosity. I do want to know who my biological dad is. I discover in birth records that Debbie's father's full name is Raymond Patrick Twist. Then, on New Zealand electoral rolls, I find him living in Auckland in the early 1980s. On Terranet, he once owned property in Auckland, but there's also a reference to a property in Christchurch. Then, in the white pages, I find a phone number. Oh, hi, Ray. Look, my name's David Lomas, and I'm ringing on behalf of the woman who I believe is your daughter, Debbie. Did you know anything of her? Um, quite surprising for you to say that. Yeah, no, I always sort of wondered. It's always crossed my mind. Well, look, Debbie's done a video message which she'd like me to show to you. I was wondering if it's possible to meet you? Uh... Ray tells me he spent his working life as a butcher. He and his wife Carol have three sons. They lived in Auckland for 40 years before moving south to Canterbury to be closer to their grandchildren. Property manager Debbie Shute has just found out that the man she calls Dad is not actually her father. I've traced her biological father, and I'm about to find out if he'll meet his daughter. Hello. I'm after Ray. Yes, you're from Auckland, are you? Yeah. Yeah, come on in. He's waiting for you. Oh, that's good. Lovely day, isn't it? It is. It's a beautiful day today. Um, Ray? You must be Ray. Yes. Pleased to meet you. I'm David. Hi. Hi. So... 46 years later, things catching up a little bit. What happened? Yeah, it was a little bit. I thought I had to soon catch up with me sooner or later. Carol, you're sitting here, so you obviously know about Debbie. I've always known about Debbie. Yeah. Um, but it was a subject we weren't allowed to talk about. Oh, you know, I've always sort of felt myself, well, if she ever wants to know, she'll come and get in touch with me sort of thing. I didn't really want to... After so many years, didn't really sort of want to ruin her life. So did you ever see Debbie? I've never seen her, but I've had a photo of her when she was 10 months old. Do you still have it? Yeah, I've had it all these years, yeah. Would you like to see her? I'd love to see her. If you were just to push that button, the woman talking to you, that's Debbie. Wow. Hi, Ray. Hopefully you are watching this. My name is Debbie, and I am your daughter. I only found out about four to five months ago, so it's a real mystery to me. It's probably come as a shock to you. I'm not sure what you know. But I am here because I would really like to meet you, and hopefully you would like to meet me too. Hmm. Yeah, she's a very attractive girl. She is, actually. She's actually... Sounds very nice. ...looking younger than what I imagined. So how does it feel that Debbie's potentially popped into your life now? Very interesting. Yeah, no, she's looking real well. So the big question, would you be happy to meet her? Yes. I'd love to meet her. I'd love to meet her, yeah. Debbie, back in Wellington, is waiting anxiously. She doesn't know I've found her birth father. Well, I've met a man in a place called Loburn, which is just north of Christchurch, and his name's Ray. Oh, you did? I bet it's great. You told me you were going down there, but I had no idea you were going to meet anyone. He's a very nice chap, him and his wife Carol, and he has a little photograph of you in his house. Oh, does he really? Oh, no. Oh, that's quite amazing. He said he'd thought about trying to find you, but was a bit worried that he'd caused a bit of chaos walking into your life. Mm-hmm. Wow. That's so exciting. That is really great news. I never thought that would happen so quickly. Trent? What? Trent, did you hear that? Hear what? That's so exciting. I don't know what to say. Oh, wow. Yeah? David was in Christchurch yesterday. I met my birth dad. Really? Yeah. Really? Yeah, it hadn't been that quick. Oh, no. Oh, that's fantastic. Wow. So, would you like to meet him? Definitely. Mm-hmm. Another interesting thing he told me, which will intrigue you, that after your mum got pregnant and you were born, that she actually stayed with his parents for quite a few months after you were born, and they helped look after you. Oh, I didn't know that. That's fantastic. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that would have been very sad then, not to see me grow up. Yes. Yeah. It seems like when your mum must have hooked up with your dad that the cut was made then. Oh, OK. Mm-hmm. Oh, that's fantastic. Has he got children himself? He's got three boys. Oh, my God. One in Melbourne, one in Christchurch. Oh, wow. One in Dunedin. Wow. That's very amazing, yes. Debbie has just a few days until she heads south. They're going to clean your room, so this will be the fourth time I've asked you, isn't it? Yep, totally. OK, well, it'll be good. She's off to meet the father she never knew existed until just a few months ago. Ray, along with Carol, is waiting in Canterbury. And the idea of meeting Debbie, I mean, you're a bit old to get a new daughter, really, aren't you? Yeah, well, that's... Yeah, that's a point. Well, sounds like Debbie's quite keen, so, yeah, I'm quite looking forward to it. You must be starting to feel a bit nervous about all this. Nervous and excited. Yeah. Have you thought about your dad, Ray, what he looks like, what sort of person he is? No, just wanting to find out. And I'm so pleased that he wants to meet me, that's just so good after all this time, now I'm going to cry. Can you see that man on the bridge there? Oh, yes. That's your dad, and that's his wife, Carol. OK. Oh, I was just excited, and I felt overwhelmed. Tears were coming to my eyes. Wow. That's a lot of tears. Hi, Ray, how are you? Nice to meet you. Carol. Hi, Carol. You do look like your mother. Oh, do I? Yeah. I'd like to say that. Well, is that really Debbie? It was hard to believe, you know, after so many years to sort of see what she really looked like. I had no idea. Didn't you? No, no idea. It feels really weird, it feels different. It still feels like it's not real. Considering I didn't know anything about it six months ago. Yeah, no, sorry about all that. You don't need to apologise. It's one of those things. It's just one of those things. Yeah. Debbie lived almost her whole life not knowing about her birth father. But later, Ray is keen to show Debbie he never forgot her. Yeah, Debbie, this is a photo of you when you were 10 weeks old. Oh, wow. Wow, that's amazing. My mother gave that to me when she went to Wellington. Wow, that's so special. And you've kept it all this time? Yeah. Oh, that's fantastic. Oh, he's just a lovely man. He's delightful. Certainly go back and go over 47 years, really, of what's happened. And that's a photo, oh, I think it's around about the time when I was taking your mother out. Oh, wow, look at those sideburns there. I can see why. Very handsome, isn't he? She's lovely. Yeah, it's going to be nice to have her as part of our family. I'd like to meet her dad as well, because I think they've done a great job of bringing her up, and she's a good independent woman. Great to see. Yeah, I'd like to thank her father very much. Debbie is in regular contact with Carol and Ray. They have been to Wellington to stay and to meet her family. I think it's still sinking in, but it's absolutely delightful, and I'm looking forward to what the future holds for all of us. Hi, my name's Pere Worden, and I'm looking for my dad, Wayne Worden. It would mean the world to me, because I don't have any family support, and I want to learn about my family history, see if he's like me. If you could please help me find my dad. 21-year-old Pere Worden works as a call centre operator in Auckland. She was born in Australia, but knows nothing of her parents' relationship. When Pere was a baby, her mother left Perth and her marriage and returned to New Zealand. It seems her dad just lost contact. Mostly I think that he may have just given up being away from Australia and to New Zealand, and I think that's why I really want to get to know him. So I just want to know what his story is, and if he did abandon me, why? Pere had a tough upbringing. Her mother struggled to look after her, and as a youngster, Pere was placed into social welfare care. Later, when she was 14, her mum suffered a severe stroke. Pere has since become estranged from her mother's family, leaving her feeling isolated and alone. It can get hard. I have amazing friends, but I just want an actual family member. Would it be good to find your dad? It would be the best thing in the world. Pere loves her art. One day, she hopes to be a marine biologist. That sounds so cool. How did you do it? No one understands what Pere's been through in her life, as much as her best friend and flatmate, Tamara Tauroa. It's been a struggle. She won't admit it, but I don't think she knows where home is, because there's always been a part. It's kind of missing. Yeah, that's missing. So I think by finding her dad, I might be able to help her find home. I think the thing I'm most scared of is actually meeting him there. If he has passed away, that's such an easy thing to get on with, because I didn't meet him, so I don't have anything to mourn over. He's pretty much a stranger to me at the end of the day, which is quite weird, because he's my dad. I begin my search for Wayne Worden on the assumption that, if he's alive, he's probably still in Australia. The family was living in Perth when Pere was born. Oh, hello, I was trying to track down a Wayne Worden. Not you? Not having much luck, I change tack, and I manage to find a Wayne Worden linked to a primary school in a town near Adelaide. Oh, hello, is that the principal of Fraser Park School? Yes, speaking. She confirms I have the right Wayne Worden. Yeah, Wayne talks a lot about Pere over the years. OK, is there any way I could perhaps get hold of a number for Wayne? I'm off to South Australia, heading east from Adelaide to a place called Murray Bridge, on the banks of the Murray River. Wayne may not want to hear from Pere. I need to arrange to meet him face to face and find out. Wayne speaking. 21-year-old Pere Worden wants to know why her dad's never been in touch. Pere has close friends, but no family around her. I've just found a dad living in South Australia. Oh, hi, Wayne. My name's David Lomas, and I'm from New Zealand. Kia ora. Kia ora, Wayne. Hey, look, I'm in Murray Bridge, and your daughter, Pere, is wondering why you've never contacted her. Uh, look, I don't know. Yes, she's good, but, um, her life's been pretty tough, and what she really can't understand is why you never tried to find her. Pere's made a video message which she wants me to show to you. Um, would you be happy to see that? Wayne agrees to meet. He's a solo dad who works as a carer for special needs children. He brings his 16-year-old son, Dallin. You Wayne? Yes. Hi, how are you? This is my son. Wayne's relationship with Dallin's mother ended when the boy was just three months old. Wayne then raised him alone. Now your daughter's looking for you. Yeah, it was a shock. So how did it come to this? Um, she went to New Zealand when she was like six, seven months old with her mother. So, long story short, the plan was for me to go over there and meet up with Pere and Kim. Why didn't you go? Finances, work, not enough money. But, yeah, never eventuated at all. Wayne tried to find Pere, searching the white pages, talking to government agencies. He was appalled and frustrated by what he discovered. I found out through the welfare system here that Pere was in a home, foster home. And I went, well, why? Why wasn't I informed? Well, we were told that you were no longer around. Wayne's enquiries just brought him up against a brick wall. I mean, I would have supported my daughter. I would have been there for her. What about Dallin? Did you ever tell him about Pere? I told him he had a sister. Yeah, I've known since as long as I can remember. So what do you remember of the little Pere when she was just a baby? Her smiles. Would you like to see what your girl looks like? I'd love to see Pere. So if you were to push that button... Hi Dad, if you're watching this, this means that they've found you, which is great. I've done this because I've been thinking about you a lot and I've always wanted to meet you. And I was just wondering if you've ever tried to find me or if you think about me very often. So I think it would be really nice to meet you if you'd like to meet me. Thank you. Wow, my little girl. When Pere left with her mum, it was... Sorry. It was very hard. Yeah, she's definitely grown up. So the big question is, would you be happy if we bring Pere here to Murraybridge? Oh, I'd be revved. It's time to update Pere back in Auckland. She's waiting with her good friend, Tamara Tauroa. Well, I've been to Australia, to a place just near Adelaide. Mm-hm, yeah. And I found your father. What? Really? Oh my gosh, that is so weird. And he cried when I said you were looking for him. He tried to find you. He doesn't stop thinking about you. I know. Oh my gosh. So do you think you'd like to go to Murraybridge? Oh my gosh, yes. Oh my gosh. That's crazy. A week later, Pere is back in the land of her birth. It's a nerve-wracking time waiting to meet Wayne, who is still a mystery to her, the father who last saw her 20 years ago. How are you feeling? Really scared, nervous, excited. Not in a bad way, just nervous to meet him and see what he thinks of me. If you walk down this path here, and down there on a pontoon, there'll be a chap waiting. Oh. That's your dad. Just down there? He'll be the guy standing there waiting. Oh. It was really scary. Just had a lot of emotions, and I didn't know how it was going to go from there. A lot of thoughts going through my mind. Is she going to accept me? Hi. I'm Pere. Hi, how are you? I'm choking. Yeah, the emotions are just going so fast. I'm sorry. It's OK. It's OK. It's all right. I guess it was just a lot of emotions that I had bottled up, kind of just bursting out. I kind of knew that he was my dad, even though it was the first time meeting him. I don't want to lose you anymore. From seeing her when she was so tiny to now is amazing. She's grown up to be such a nice girl. I've got another surprise for you later on. Oh, my gosh. OK, you can come and drive my ute. You'll know it's my ute. It's pretty bright. What colour is it? It's yellow. And what type of ute? It's a Ford. Oh, yeah. Yeah. There's a good reason for her ride. Pere doesn't know she has an Australian brother. I've got someone I want you to meet. OK. OK? Cool. Yes. Darlene. You home, Darlene? Yeah. Come on, mate. I want someone to meet you. I'd like to come meet your sister. This is Pere. This is Darlene. Nice to meet you. It's nice to finally meet you. I've told him a little bit. I kind of just found out about you. I told him a little bit about you a long time ago, and I kept telling him all the time, and he's been really excited. Yeah. Now we're family. So I met my brother, and he's a cool little dude. Cool personality, so I'm stoked. Pere always had a hunch that her dad would love animals. Sit. What the hell are you saying? Sit. Oh, yeah. Soot. Yeah, he gets to see an Australian. It doesn't matter whether she's a Kiwi or an Aussie. She's my Belle. Exactly what it means. I feel like I can call him Dad without it being weird or awkward. It's like my safe haven here, somewhere I can come to. Come on. Pere is in regular contact with her new family and plans to visit again soon. Next week on Lost and Found. When you make a commitment, you stick with it. The teenage daughter who vanished. Her dad left when she was born. Would he want me in his life? And he's never met his father. I'm predicting that he's tall and good looking. He's tall and good looking.