artsculture

Once in a Lifetime Reunion

Although oceans apart separated by decades of irreplaceable time, two women have conquered all odds and found each other. Janet Page-Denney, 54, met Georgina Sheila Krueger, 72, for the first time at Melbourne International Airport in December of 2008.

It all began in 1954 when an unwed 17 year old gave birth to a baby in England. The baby was removed at three days old and placed in Dr. Bernardo’s Children’s Home where she was to be adopted. The mother was told she would not be allowed access to the records because of the adoption. The baby was moved to a foster home where she remained until she was sixteen and became pregnant herself. She married the father at the pressuring of the Children’s Home and was divorced within a year.

At age 18, Page-Denney received her birth certificate. She clutched the paper excitedly to learn her mother’s name for the first time: Sheila Georgina Denney.

Page-Denney began a long search without any luck, persevering through obstacles, searching globally for Sheila Denney. Even with the assistance of private investigation and the World Wide Web she had reached a stale mate.

Then by a stroke of good fortune the Children’s Home chose Page-Denney at random to obtain her records and personal information in 1995. Even with this new angle, she could not find Sheila Denney anywhere in Europe.

Time passed and in 2008, Page-Denney hired a gentleman in England to restart her search using her mother’s last known address, a location just two streets over from where Janet had lived, and her married name of Krueger which her uncle had provided.

Page-Denney checked several of the websites where she had postings listed in October and saw an advertisement for a new website. She contacted the woman in charge and was told the fee would be 250 pounds. Page-Denney told the woman of her fixed income and thanked her for her time.

To Page-Denney’s surprise, the woman called back to tell her of a G.S. Krueger that she had located in the United States and without the ability to pay, Page-Denney planned on scouring all fifty states for this contact. Through a miracle, the woman told her that G.S. Krueger was in Florida.

Page-Denney wrote a form letter which she sent to the addresses for each listing. Finally, she received a response. A family member had received and read the letter addressed to Lewis Majors and cried. They told Page-Denney that they knew her mother although they hadn’t seen her in twelve years and as far as they knew she was residing in Cocoa, Florida.

On November 18th, 2008 at 5a.m. Eastern time, Page-Denney found a listing for a G.S. Krueger in Cocoa, Florida. She waited in her kitchen in Sorrell, Tasmania for what felt like an eternity until 7:30 a.m. With the phone on speaker mode, her husband Peter dialed the number, since Page-Denney was too nervous to make the call herself.

Krueger awoke by the early morning call to Peter’s voice asking her if she was Mrs. Krueger. She replied yes, almost hanging up the phone, thinking Peter was a telemarketer. He asked her if she used to be British to which she heatedly retorted, “I still am British!”

Peter then asked if she had family in Britain. Krueger’s defensive, harsh tone softened as she quietly told him about the little girl she had once had for three days before she was taken from her.

Page-Denney said that her right leg began to shake, followed by her left as her husband continued, asking Krueger if that little girl’s name was Janet. “How did you know that?” Krueger asked still thinking she was speaking to a telemarketer. Page-Denney’s body started trembling as Peter said, “Because I’m her husband and your daughter Janet would like to speak with you.”

When they met at the airport, Page-Denney said, “She looked just like her uncle dressed in drag. They are identical.” Page-Denney enjoyed observing the structural similarities in her and her mother, as physically they appear to be twins even down to their bowed legs; medically they both have degenerative arthritis in exactly the same places.

Krueger learned that she was not only the mother of one, but that she is also a grandmother to three children, a great-grandmother to eleven children, and in early 2009 she became a great-great-grandmother. Five generations all from her womb suddenly in her life. What a great story of perseverance and the rewards of never giving up!