A WOMAN travelled all the way from Canada to meet her long lost sister in Alva for the first time, after the Advertiser helped track her down.
Lynn Lonnkvist, from Vancouver, was shocked when her mum revealed before she died that she had another daughter somewhere in Scotland.
Lynn's brother Stuart, who also travelled to Scotland, told the Advertiser: "Our mum was lying in bed one day and my wife said to her: 'Why don't you tell me the names of all your kids and their birthdays'.
"She started by listing her seven kids, and paused, then said: 'And Anderine Syme Blackett, born in 1945'.
"I was shocked. She had another baby and had never told anyone before."
But, Lynn's mum was forced to give up her first child, after becoming pregnant when she was still a teen.
Lynn said: "Her mother was tough on her, and when she found out she was pregnant she told her: 'You're out of here. Go and have the baby then send her away'."
Lynn's mum was sent to her grandmothers house in Alva, where she had Anderine in 1945, before putting her up for adoption.
In 1962, she moved to Canada to start a new life, never speaking a word about her first child until just before she died.
When Lynn was told about her long lost sister she tried to track her down, and discovered Anderine was born at 19 Coblecrook Gardens, Alva.
On a visit to Scotland last year, Lynn travelled to the address and bumped into Alva resident Morag Jackson, who was out walking her dog and offered to help her.
The pair then decided to pop into the Alloa Advertiser's office.
Lynn said: "We walked to the newspaper and told the lady there my story, and she let me talk to a reporter who wrote everything down.
"It was in the next week's paper but I was back in Canada then, so Morag sent me two copies."
Word soon reached a stunned Anderine Drysdale that her long lost sister was searching for her.
She said: "I was told there was a half sister looking for me and I just said: 'I haven't got a half sister'.
"I was shocked to start with, and to discover I was the oldest of eight children.
"I phoned the Advertiser and they checked everything out and put us in touch."
The pair chatted online and through FaceTime – before arranging to meet for the first time on Tuesday, September 11, at the address in Alva where Anderine was born.
Lynn was so happy she could barely describe how it felt to finally meet her half sister.
She said: "I'm speechless. It's just unbelievable, and absolutely incredible. There really are no words to describe it actually."
Anderine was also stunned by the whole experience, saying: "It's just amazing.
"We haven't planned anything, we're now just going to meet, talk, find out more things and enjoy our time together."
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