Herald helps Aussie family trace Ayrshire relatives

Julie Bonar contacted the Herald two weeks ago asking for our help in finding any surviving family of her husband Tom.

The Herald ran a story to appeal for information and when we told Julie that our plea had been successful, she said: “That’s fantastic news, my husband is so happy. What a wonderful result, I’m over the moon. Thanks so very much.”

It was thought that Tom’s mother Jane (nee Fairlie Dalgleish) was born in Ardrossan, but the Herald has since learned that she came from Saltcoats.

Jane emigrated to Australia with her husband, also called Tom, just after the Second World War. Tom Snr is still alive and well at 95, but sadly, Jane passed away just two days after giving birth to the couple’s second child.

Tom remarried but his new wife forbade any contact with Jane’s relatives in Ayrshire and so the family lost touch.

But the Herald received a surprise call from Jane’s niece Dorothy Roy in Kilbirnie.

Dorothy is the daughter of Jane’s younger sister Elma, who is now 83 and lives in Bishopbriggs.

Jane’s other sister, Margaret Shiena, who was the oldest of the three girls, passed away about three years ago in Carlisle at the age of 89.

The long-lost relatives are now all in touch and the Bonars plan to come over and visit their Scottish family in the near future.

Elma said: “We’re very much delighted.

“It was such a shock when my sister died in 1954, I would be only 20. However, we never forgot them, we just couldn’t contact them.

“They didn’t know they had their mum’s mum and dad – a gran and grandpa – over here and two aunties and cousins.

“They’ve got four cousins here – my three girls and Fiona who is my sister’s [Margaret Shiena] daughter in Cumbria.

“My sister [Jane] was born in Craigs Park Farm in Saltcoats. That was where my gran and grandpa lived.”

Dorothy added: “We’re in contact with them all the time, every day.

“They’re going to make arrangements to come over here.”