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Australian siblings Bill and Beryl had last seen each other 80 years ago, just as WWII broke out. Bill was 11 and his little sister was 8. Sadly, the pair were living in an orphanage because their mother had died three years previously, and their father was working in the merchant navy on board the SS Iron Crown.
While the two were confident that their father, Frank Stewart, would return to get them, the the Japanese torpedoed the ship Stewart was on and he was reported missing and presumed dead, Bill recalls in the video below.
While the siblings were living in Adelaide at the time, there was further heartbreaking news to come: Beryl was to be adopted, even though she didn’t want to go.
After the separation, Bill and Beryl lived their lives, but always had the desire to find each other again. While both made steps to try and find each other’s whereabouts, it came to no fruition.
However, 77 years after the SS Iron Crown sunk to the bottom of the sea, it was discovered. And with the finding all over the news, it galvanized Bill into searching for Beryl once more.
The now-nonagenarian did a DNA test and discovered a relative who was an amateur genealogist. She set about doing some research and came across Beryl and her new surname, Johnson.
This ultimately led to a phone call between the siblings, and that was it. The pair met up and have become inseparable ever since, even if they don’t physically see other all the time. The siblings shared that they call each other every morning at 8:15. They greet each other with: “Hello, my darling brother, hello, my darling sister.”
Although Bill and Beryl spent so long apart, their bond has remained strong. While they may be in the latter stages of their lives, we pray they get to spend these final years together in peace and love, with the occasional bossing each other around!
And today we celebrate...