One of the calls I received regarding my ad was from a guy who took 6 years to find his b-mother. That is a long time to search and there are many people in a similar situation and the longer they search the more difficult it is, especially emotionally.

I regard myself as very lucky getting such quick response. He, Deon, phoned me to give me moral support and suggested that he would like to start up a support group for adoptees in the near future and said I should contact him if need be, unfortunately he currently has no access to a computer. I suppose there would be a need for people to communicate with others in a similar situation even be it for moral support or maybe advice.

I've been the type of person to shy away from telling friends that I was adopted, and thereby always trying to forget about those thoughts, but the truth is that every now and again one tends to think of your past and wonder - "What if I knew?"

I myself am consulting with a psychologist so yes I have someone to help me with emotions ect., it came to the fore that I seemed to have an identity problem which could have been from not knowing.

The best advice I could give to prospective searches is to first communicate with their adoptive parents, not always an easy step. Be open about your intentions: any information they might have could help, be it regarding maiden names, birth place, adoption agency involved or any info, nothing is irrelevant.

What made it easy for me is that my adoptive parents could give me the adoption order issued by the Registrar of Adoptions and could remember that my b-mother came from Ermelo. Taking that info I then placed a personal ad in the district's local paper and yes it worked.

Saying that you (this web site) receive as many as 100 mails per week, got me thinking, and if there could be any way of me being able to assist you where ever need be, please don't hesitate to mail me. I do not know where you are based, but I reside at (withheld to preserve privacy).

Hoping to hear from you.