Sydney based university student Emily Peace has spent the last two years searching for her biological grandfather, Douglas Purcill.

“My mum was adopted,” Emily explained.

“She found out when she was 16 in the mid 1980s.”

Emily’s journey began in 2016 when a new DNA test became available in Australia.

Alongside her mother, Emily jumped at the chance to kick start a search for her paternal family. 

She said the process used to identify Douglas is common in the United States to solve cold cases.

“It is becoming the go to for adoptees in search of their biological parents,” Emily said. 

After Emily tracked down other biological relatives, it was revealed Douglas was a frequent visitor to Gloucester and Dungog.

“They told me he would head up to Gloucester for a few days at a time,” Emily said.

“He was a bit of a wanderer but now he’s seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.”

Emily has maintained a blog, entitled ‘Diary of a Young Genealogist’, to chronologically document her research and findings.

She recounted her journey to the Mid North Coast and Hunter last month, including stops in Gloucester and Dungog.

Emily described walking through the main street of Gloucester and the local cemetery.

“I had a specific purpose though, I wasn’t there to necessarily visit those who had long since passed, it was legitimately a quest to see if Douglas had somehow been buried in there, unbeknownst to us due to the limitations of death record availability beyond 1989,” Emily wrote.

She also inquired with people in a coffee shop if they knew of Douglas.

Emily left her own details as well as information on Douglas so it could be circulated around the town.

“This was above and beyond what I had expected,” Emily wrote.

Emily’s investigations continued in Failford, Kempsey, Yamba and Byron Bay before returning home to Sydney.

All the time, effort and research has been worth it. 

“It’s about closure for the family as well as curiosity,” Emily said.

“I’d like mum to meet her biological parent.”

NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages confirmed to Emily that Douglas is still alive.

If you have any information for Emily or want to view her blog, visit www.diaryofayounggenealogist.wordpress.com/​