A youthful and enthusiastic South African ‘John’ was travelling around world in the mid 80’s, the decade that gave birth to the internet and somehow people connected without Facebook.
Arriving in London on a dreary and brisk autumn day, John managed to secure a bed with a kind modest Londoners family. During this overnight sojourn he met Donna, the only daughter of his hosts, and was instantly captivated by her brunette locks and enchanting deep hazel eyes. After a cosy traditional tea with his proverbial inn keepers, John managed to find an intimate moment with Donna; they whiled away the hours ruminating about their passions and dreams, the story book evening ended in an impassioned embrace.
To paraphrase the lauded romantic playwrights, ‘happy days must always come to end’, with John leaving London to continue his European journey the star crossed lovers promised to keep in touch. Postcards were exchanged constantly for the first 3 months, then as many European affairs are wont to do, the post card romance slowed down and finally ended. Donna’s heart was broken but she valiantly moved on slowly letting the sorrow fade away with time.
Some 30 years on and now that the technological revolution has forever changed the way we connect, John and Donna were able to once again reunite. John’s life had taken a different path, he had had to work hard to pay for his education and married a fellow lawyer who worked in his office, meanwhile through all of his life Donna’s kisses still lingered in his dreams. Donna also got married and had 2 children then migrated to Australia.
Coincidentally both John and Donna’s partners had recently passed away. John and Donna reconnected via Facebook and helped each other through their difficult times. After all the tears of sadness and joy, the serendipitous couple came to terms with the realities of their predicaments and wondered how they could be together again when they lived on opposite sides of the world.
According to the Department of Immigration website the couple could not prove their relationship sufficiently to meet the requirements for John to come to Australia and live with Donna; at a loss they thought, ‘what can we do now’?
This is one of many stories we have encountered here at No Borders Group and luckily one of the many couples that we have been able to assist throughout the years, as we continue to help families come together from around the world.