British woman, 69, who has been separated from her father, 89, since 1961, breaks down in tears as she finally tracks him down in Australia after assuming he was dead

A woman who has not seen her father for 63 years has told how she burst into tears the moment she heard he was alive – and that they would be reunited.

Glennis Bradshaw, 69, from Northampton, lost contact with her father Gerald Lee, 89, in 1961 when he was deployed to a Royal Navy base, but never returned after his relationship with his partner broke down. Glennis was only six years old.

Her daughter Lynn Berry, 49, began an arduous search for Gerald in 1997 using old Navy records, but after coming up short the family assumed he had died.

Lynn tried one last time after purchasing a DNA testing kit from Ancestry for Christmas and the family was left golden. Lynn was shocked to discover that her mother had a half-sister named Karen Lee, who would eventually confirm that her grandfather was still alive – more than 9,000 miles away in Australia.

The retired cook and grandmother of four recalled how she burst into tears the moment she heard her “dream” would become a reality, and that she would finally be reunited with her father in April.

She said: 'Two weeks later I'm still in shock, I'm really relieved he was alive.

'I thought my dream of finding him was over. I really thought he was dead.

“When we meet I'll say 'hello dad, I've been waiting so long for this' and I'll probably cry.”

Mother-of-two Lynn said she first started looking for Gerald in 1997 after asking her mother if she would try to find him.

When she began the complex search, all she had to do was include his name, a rough estimate of his age, and the fact that he was in the Navy in his early years.

After combining Navy records and multiple family trees without any success, she decided to buy an Ancestry DNA test kit for her mother for Christmas.

During the test search, they came across a woman with the same last name as Gerald, named Karen Lee.

Lynn sent Karen a message explaining the journey they had been on over the past 27 years – and was stunned when she replied on January 5.

Karen confirmed that she was Gerald's daughter – making her Glennis' half-sister – and that he was also very much alive, 15,000 kilometers away in Mandurah, Western Australia.

The family will now travel from Britain to Australia for an emotional reunion in April after Glennis and Gerald reconnected via email.

Lynn recalled, “I asked Mom if she really wanted to find her dad and she said she would. First of all, we looked through Navy records, but we didn't know his date of birth.

'We looked in the navy for people who were sent to Malta. But we couldn't point to anything.

'We literally kept going back to the family trees. They were not as advanced as they are now. It wasn't until a few years ago that I thought: I'm going to try again. My daughter took a DNA ancestry test and found a bunch of links, so we got Mom one of the kits.

'I gave it to her on Christmas Day. I tried the family tree again and then I found Karen. Coincidentally, she was his daughter. We thought he had died.

'I contacted her on December 12. I was at work when I got an answer. She replied on January 5.

“I didn't expect that to be an honest answer. I was at work and tears were streaming down my face. This was 6 o'clock in the morning.

'I thought: how do I tell mom? She cried when I did that, she said, “Oh my God, really?” She just burst into tears.

'For the next few days, she woke up every morning and said, 'I have a father.' We're all a little overwhelmed.”

Glennis and her mother Irene moved to Malta with Gerald when he was posted to the Royal Navy there, but lost contact with him after the couple separated.

Karen, 52, revealed Gerald had emigrated to Australia in 1966 after his stint in the Navy, married a local woman and worked as a coaching guide.

Gerald, who had one child with his wife Claudia, said he was “a bit overwhelmed” to reconnect with his first daughter after all these years.

He also insisted that he tried his best to find his long-lost daughter, but to no avail.

He said: 'Glennis' mother Irene warned me not to come home because they wouldn't be there.

“My mother-in-law told me she didn't know where they were. I'm a bit overwhelmed'.

Still, the Lees are excited to see each other for the first time in more than sixty years.

Lynn hopes to inspire others with their story and reminded them to never give up the hunt for a loved one.

“I would advise anyone who is unsure about where they come from to just go for it and never give up,” she said.

'My mother thought we would never find him. My children want to be there too. They never had a grandfather. It will be very emotional.

“We're aiming to be there in April. We are looking at around £2,500 for both of us to move on. I have started a crowdfunding page, but if necessary I will get a loan.

“As a family, we're going to do what we can to get mom there. It's about making my mother happy.

“She is my world and my rock and I am so happy that she can finally see her father again after all these years.”

To donate to the fundraiser, go to: