As if an emotional meeting with one brother they didn’t know they had for more than 60 years was not enough – a family yesterday found themselves face to face with another.
Tommy Chalmers, from Burghead, had planned a series of north-east get-togethers for Rob Weston, his half brother who was abandoned in a Birmingham cinema 61 years ago.
But the publicity around their story left his clan bowled over a second time after it led to the discovery of another sibling with whom they share a father.
Yesterday Larry Aston, who lives in north Wales, and Mr Weston, who lives in Plymouth, both travelled to the family’s hometown of Turiff to catch up with relatives.
And the reunion has raised suspicions there may also be a sister to be tracked down who has the late Charlie Chalmers, who temporarily moved to England for work in the 1950s, as a father.
Security guard Mr Chalmers said coverage in the Press and Journal of the family discovering Mr Weston and “a lot of luck” had helped lead them to Mr Aston.
He said: “A guy in Canada saw the story and he has a second cousin called Larry and made the connection.
“We managed to get in touch and got him to do the DNA test. We’ve got the results back now and he’s a full brother for Rob and a half-brother for ourselves.
“Larry’s come from different sources and he always thought that he had a sister, he was never searching for a brother. He knew nothing about Rob.”
The newly-discovered relatives also caught up with their other half-brother Frankie Chalmers, from Turiff, as well as half-sister Pat McBain from Banff.
The duo will spend the coming days touring the north-east catching up with distant cousins from the Chalmers clan.
Extensive research in recent months has led to the discovery of Mr Weston’s birth certificate, which revealed he was originally named Paul Aston.
It has also confirmed that his mother was called Betty. Further checks confirmed she died in 1961.
Mr Weston was also reunited with Bryn Jones, who was born from a later relationship of their mother’s.
Lecturer Mr Weston said: “It’s all been mindboggling and a bit numbing. I was just kind of getting used to the idea of having Tommy when we discovered Larry. It’s a lot to take in and has taken some time to adjust to.
“The birth certificate has actually revealed I’m nine days younger than I thought it was. At least it went in the right direction.”