"I met Keith at the first dance I ever went to at Pioneer Hall in Wollongong, when I was 14. A blond-haired boy in jeans and a bright white penguin T-shirt sauntered over to me and asked me to dance. We danced together for the rest of the night, then he walked me into town and bought me a milkshake. That was 58 years ago."
"When I was 16, I found out I was pregnant. I was sent away to an unmarried mother's home and I gave up my son for adoption. There were no choices in those days; I didn't get to talk to Keith about what we wanted. My father thought adoption was the best plan so I could finish my schooling and get on with my life. It was all clothed in secrecy."
"Years later, we found our son and I felt rewarded. Rob came into our lives when he was 25. He wanted to meet his mother, and he met two sisters and a father as well. We all noticed likenesses between Rob, Keith and the girls. It was an exciting time, charged with emotion and joy. It was such a rollercoaster for me and Keith."
Rhonda met Keith at a dance in Wollongong when she was 14 and they quickly formed a close bond. Keith was 16, lived with his father and three sisters, and worked in retail furniture. They spent weekends at the beach, watching footy and socializing with friends. A visit to the crematorium to remember Keith's mother deepened their intimacy, and Rhonda fell in love at 15. At 16 she became pregnant, was sent to an unmarried mother's home, and relinquished her son for adoption amid secrecy and limited choice. Years later the couple found their son Rob, who joined the family at 25, prompting a mix of joy and unresolved grief.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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