Around the world in 70 years

Hi, my name is Siobhan, I have lived in South Africa for most of my life but I moved to New Zealand almost three years ago. My family's story is split into two parts, my Mom’s side of the family and my Dad's side of the family. My personal story is quite a bit different to others, but my story began in 1936 when both my grandparents were born.

Both of my grandparents were born in England, where my grandma Mary Ann was adopted and my grandpa Don grew up with his birth parents. In 1959 my grandparents got married and four years later they had my Mom Sian and another year after that they had my aunt Helen. In October 1973 my whole family flew to New Zealand for my grandpa’s work. He was a scientist and he wanted some more challenges than he had at his old job.

My family’s treasure is a piece of purple laser glass, which my grandpa got given while he was working on a project at his work in Lower Hutt New Zealand.

In 1985 my Mom started traveling around the world. In 1987 visited South Africa, loving it so much she stayed. In 1989 my Mom met my Dad Simon and they got married in 1992. My brother, Stefan was born in 1994 and I was born in 1998. In 2009 my parents got divorced and my Mom wanted to move back to New Zealand with me and my brother. In June 2009 my Mom got permission to take me and my brother to New Zealand. Unfortunately in July the same year my brother decided he didn't want to move to New Zealand and stayed in South Africa with my dad. In November 2009 me and my Mom got onto a plane and flew to New Zealand. We stayed with my grandparents for about six months and then we moved to a house just down the road, and about six months after that we moved to Wellington Central.

I was born in South Africa and I now live in Wellington, New Zealand. My grandparents where the first of my Mom’s side of the family to move to New Zealand. My Dad has never live anywhere further than Southern Africa.

On my Dad's side of the family, my dad was born in 1962 and got put up for adoption. My grandparents Jackie and Don (a different Don then to my Mom's side) had many miscarriages and they decided to adopt a child and my Dad was adopted on January 2nd 1963. In 1965 my grandparents gave birth to my aunt. In 1981 my dad moved down to Durban, South Africa and the rest of the family moved to Durban a year later. My Dad met my Mom in 1989 and three years later my Mom and Dad got married. They had my brother in 1994 and and me in 1998. When my parents got divorced and my Mom and me moved to New Zealand, my brother and my Dad stayed in Durban, South Africa.