My name is Barbara Stoeckel-Clayton. I am fifty eight years old and I live in Perth Western Australia. I have two sons and six grandchildren. My Dad's name is Stuart Leslie Clayton who at the young age of ten was sent to Western Australia from a Barnados orphanage in England. He arrived at the port of Fremantle in Western Australia as an orphan "he was told no family" on the steamship SS Ballarat and was sent to Fairbridge Farm near Pinjarra where he lived, worked and was educated until the age of fifteen. He was then told to go and make his own way in the world. He had no family and didn't know anyone to take him in. He faced many challenges and struggles but eventually found his way.
At the age of twenty four he volunteered to serve his country like many other Australians and enlisted in the army. He was trained in gruella warfare and was a sniper in the 2/5 Commando Squadron serving in Wau-New Guinea, Celebe Islands and Borneo. His service in the Australian Imperial Forces ended when he was discharged after the last campaign he was involved in being "The landing at Balikpapan". He had also stayed on to help with the "mop-up" as he called the clean-up and was one of the last servicemen to return to Australia at the age of twenty eight. He then got on with life, his first marriage gave him a son, his second marriage to his soul mate gave him four children and a step-son, the baby girl only lived for three months. Then sadly his soul mate passed away from cancer leaving him to raise his three little children; me being one of them with the help of his step-son John. His three little ones were of Aboriginal decent and due to government policies back in the early sixties were placed in Mofflyn Children's home in East Victoria Park, Perth about 450kms from where he lived. Making visits very few and far between but he did it as often as he could and we cried every time holding onto the high wire where we were fenced in at that home as we watched our Dad drive away with our big brother.
After two long years we went back to our Dad and at the age of eight I told him I would never leave him again and would one day go to England to find someone from his family. He told me this is his family the one he had made because he didn’t have a family when he was growing up. He said to us many times family is so important and means everything so look after each other, family together!
Then in 2005 my sister Jen and I along with our children and our brother's children nursed our Dad for nine long months before he sadly passed away from cancer in August.
I often wonder how much hardship, grief and loss one has to endure in life, some people seem to get more than others, I’ve sure had my fair share. Jen and I have lost a baby sister, our darling Mum, two loving brothers and our precious Dad who was our world our inspiration. Plus many other family members.
I have lived all of my fifty eight years not having met any of Dad's family until Saturday 28th May 2016 when my husband Kym and I went travelled to England. We arrived on the 23rd May 2016 and by our own initiative found and met up with my Dad's identical twin brother who is still alive at the ripe old age of ninety eight. I also met my Dad's two nephews from an older brother, my first cousins Richard and David Clayton in Kings Lynn. All I had was my Dad’s birth certificate with his mother’ name and where she lived as a child in Kings Lynn, Norfolk.
The events that led me to my long lost family are not short of a miracle. I did one thing and was blocked, so I did another and was faced with another obstacle this happened about five or six times and not once did I give up my search. I know my Dad was with me spiritually and was making me stay strong and kept me focussed. Then on the 6th June 2016 I had lunch with my Dad's twin brother Uncle Edward and his children in Surrey. I cried tears joy as I had found my Dad’s family and tears of sadness for my Dad who had passed away not ever knowing he had brother's let alone a twin brother who was identical in mannerisms, personality and humour. The way he sat, the way he folded his legs, the way he held his hands to the way he hugged me was just like my Dad. It was as if my Dad had been reincarnated. Uncle Edward was so overwhelmed meeting me and there are no words to describe the way I was feeling. I didn't want to leave him when it was time to return to Australia, I said I've lived all these years not ever knowing you existed I just wish my Dad could have met you. More hug and tears.....
Uncle Edward had photos of my grandmother and for the first time in my life I saw my Dad's mum's face. I also went and visited her grave. I lay on her grave and cried, I asked why she put them in an orphanage, why did she not look for my Dad, why did she not tell Uncle Edward he had a twin brother in Australia. I prayed and said she must have had her reasons and could not judge without knowing the full story and hoped she was now with my Dad in heaven.
Uncle Edward is doing okay for a ninety eight year old but there are some pressing health problems that could flare up any day now and take him away from our family.
The money raised will be used for my sister and I and other family members to travel to England, pay for accommodation, food and transport to and from Uncle's house in Farnham, England, plus other incidental costs. We would like to have a family link up on a large screen so other family members who can't make the journey can see us meeting him and hear him talk. We would also like to share our story with a newspaper or television program so other people have the courage to trace and find their long lost loved ones, just like I found my Uncle Edward.
I would like to return with my family to England for my Uncle's ninety ninth birthday which is on January 11th 2017 to celebrate this milestone event with him. Our family here in Australia always celebrated our Dad's birthday with him each year and found that coming together was a time of happiness and healing.
I know the time frame is really short but Uncle doesn't have much time left and neither do we. My sister Jen has had two heart attacks and has very bad arthritis in the knees, she needs to go to hospital to have another stent put in as she has vascular disease. I feel our family have been robbed of special times we could have spent with our family in England, especially our Dad who never met his family. Someone knew he had a twin brother and they were separated. But things happen and there are no ill feelings from our family only the urge to fix the wrongs that have been done.
As for me I feel I have had so many of my questions answered from long ago, the ones I asked my Dad when I was a little girl like; do you have any brothers or sisters, what does my Nana Kate Clayton look like, did she have sisters or brothers, what are my great grandparents names and what is it like in England?
I would really appreciate and be so thankful to anyone who donates to my cause to support me take my sister and family to England to meet our Dad's identical twin brother. I feel and truly believe we need to know where we have come from to help us go forward in life. We must have complete spiritual mind, body and soul to be a whole person. I will be truly grateful for your support and know there are still good people in the world who will support our family.
PLEASE, PLEASE SUPPORT MY CAUSE