After 77 years apart, two long-lost brothers who were separated as kids in 1945 will be reunited for the first time.
Ted Nobbs, 83, and his brother Geoff, 79, have spent more than seven decades apart after their family was split up at the end of WWII.
Ted, along with brothers Barry and John, were separated from their younger brother Geoff after their mother died of cancer at the age of 30 in 1945.
Their father was unable to care for Geoff, who was one at the time, and decided to place him for adoption in order to give him a better life.
Geoff went to Australia when he was seven years old and has remained there ever since, raising eight children and grandchildren.
Ted, Barry, and John had all attempted unsuccessfully to locate their younger brother throughout the years.
‘I did a couple searchers,’ Nobbs explained. ‘I wrote the first note in 1994, then again in 2004.’
We went through Supporting Adults Affected By Adoption, but luck was on our side again, and Barry tried to find him separately.’
Their fortunes altered in 2014, four years after their elder brother John died, when Geoff found down Barry and wrote him a letter.
‘A letter from Geoff just appeared on Barry’s doorstep out of nowhere,’ Knobbs explained. ‘We were all reunited over the phone, and it was amazing catching up.’
It crushed me when he discovered us; I just didn’t think it would happen. ‘A few tears were shed.’
‘He had planned to come over to England for my 80th birthday, but COVID scuppered those plans,” Nobbs stated.
‘In any case, we had the celebrations, and there was a big tv in the hotel, and [his son] Christopher had gotten a video from Geoff that he played.” He sent me a birthday greeting.’
The grandfather-of-three flew the 22-hour flight to the major reunion on his alone on Sunday because his brother Barry was unable to travel due to illness.
Geoff now lives just south of Sydney with his eight children, and his most recent employment before retiring was dealing with horses.
‘I haven’t flown in 50 years,’ stated Nobbs. ‘I had to get a new passport.’ It doesn’t bother me; I’m excited to go… being able to hug him will be wonderful.’
‘We’re going to fly from Sydney to the Sunday Islands,’ he explained, adding that he’ll also see the Great Barrier Reef.
‘It’s going to be absolutely fantastic.’ I’ll be meeting Geoff, his daughter, and his son. I also have Geoff’s granddaughter’s wedding coming up, and I’ve been invited.’
His son Christopher’s friend provided a large amount of Avios flyer points to help pay for the return leg of the flight.
‘There’s a lot to pay for, but I’ll probably never be able to do it again, so I figured I’d take advantage of the opportunity now.’