Janet Howard (formerly Rodgers), who lives near Adelaide, is due to set foot again in Nafferton next month for the first time since leaving the area with her family at the age of three.

She told the Driffield Times that she had wanted to return to the area since she was a child, and had been planning such a trip in her mind for many years.

"Mum and Dad talked about what they did when they were kids and how they lived a lot. It feels like there was something left behind. I felt that I needed to come home before I got much older," she said this week.

Norman and Maisie Rodgers left for Australia in 1957 with Janet, her sister Irene and brothers Raymond, Harry and Alan. Her youngest brother Brian was born in Australia.

Mr Rodgers was a prominent figure on the East Yorkshire sporting scene, playing cricket, football and darts.

Both parents also had children from earlier marriages, whom Janet Howard is hoping to contact. Her mother was previously married to Robert Hughes and had a son called Peter and daughter Rosalie.

Her father also had two children, John and Judith, from an earlier marriage to Matilda Mycock.

Janet explained how she had been searching for her half-siblings for many years over the internet, and spoke of her wish to meet them.

"I have only ever known my immediate family and they are so precious to me. It would be wonderful to find some relatives that look like us and have the same mannerisms. It might sound stupid, but that is how I have felt for a long time."

CAN YOU HELP?
Anyone who would like to
contact Janet Howard before her trip can phone 0061 883675202 or 0061 409675235.
Alternatively, email jh505403@bigpond.net.au or janet.howard@adelaide.edu.au.