E-mail from Sister Simone Forster

Dear Susan!

Do you remember the Swiss couple at church last Sunday (14 February)? You asked me to tell you my story, my family story. That I will do, even if it will be a longer story. I will try to shorten it as best as I can.

What I tell you here is all I know about my mothers family. It might be true. It just is what I know.

My mothers father comes from Switzerland. My mothers mother from Singapore. Her maiden name was Gomes. My grandparents probably lived in Georgetown, Penang.

My grandfather sent my mother and her brother, when they were very young (7 and 4) to Switzerland in a children's home. He wanted to have them in a Swiss school. My grandparents came to Switzerland. My grandfather died before I was born. But I knew my Nanny. That's how we (me and my two older sisters) called our grandmother. I loved her and her kind being so much. She died when I was ten years old.

I never asked my mother abour her family. But when my husband and I joined the church we started to do genealogy. So I asked my mother. She would not tell me about her life in Penang or in the children's home. "It is none of your business," she told me. "It is my life."

Finally, when I wouldn't quit asking, she took a pencil and wrote down the names of her great-grandfather and all the connection she knew. It did not help a lot, but at least I had something in my hand.

I ordered microfilms from the church and looked them all through. I found nothing.

But, some years ago I got a letter from a David Gomes. He sent me his Family Tree and asked me if we could be related. Some names were familiar to me. But he was the same age as me and the name of his grandfather was the name of my great-grandfather. So it could not be that we are related. I apologized and sent him my Family Tree.

Just a few weeks later I got another letter from him, with more names. I looked everything through and found a new familiar name. Then I looked at the small piece of paper my mother wrote with pencil and found the relationship!

One of my great-grandfather's brothers lost his wife and son in 1942 in the war. After the war he remarried and this David from England was his son. That is why he is my age but one generation older than me. I was so happy!

My sister and I flew to England and met my first asian relative, the first Gomes. Then I found out that my great-great-grandfather had 12 children!!! He was a reverend and a sign is written at the wall of the St. Andrew's Cathedral in Singapore.

With the help of David I found relatives in Australia and I will see more in Singapore in March.

Just one detail: My great-grandfather had two wives. My grandmother is from the first wife. She had two brothers. I do not know more about them. All the relations I had were with the children of the second wife.

When we came to Perth we learned that a son of a brother of my grandmother lived in a home for aged people but that he was not able to recognize his family except his son and his ex-wife. Son and wife??? I asked for addresses, phone numbers. But nobody could help. They just had the address of the home.

So my husband and I went to see Douglas Gomes. He was sitting in the living room, not knowing what was going on around him. We greated him and he was so friendly. We showed him pictures of his aunt, of my mother (his cousin!), of our family. He smiled, wanted nothing to eat, looked always on the computer with the pictures. Then he smiled again and said: "I never realized, that I have such a big family."

The nurse gave me his ex-wife's (who still cares for him dearly) phone number and so we met her and her son, my cousin! Two weeks later Douglas Gomes was in the hospital. I do not know how he is today.

I still do not know about all the ancestors. But I will try to find out more about them.

I just know now that I am Eurasian, that I have roots here and that I found my identity.

The best of all is to have spent the Sunday morning with you and your branch. Gottfried and I loved the sweet loving spirit. Thank you for the friendship and the love!

Kind regards and a big hug!

Simone