Sally Faulkner hasn’t seen her two eldest children, Lahela and Noah, since 2015.
And the heartbroken mother-of-five is certainly feeling their absence on the fifth anniversary of the last time she cuddled her babies in Australia on May 22, 2015.
Sally was thrust into the headlines when she and a 60 Minutes team were involved in a bungled attempt to recover Lahela and Noah, resulting in the arrest of journalist Tara Brown, Sally and three crewmembers.
The achingly short taste of relief she felt after snatching back her son and daughter has haunted her for years. However, there is a bittersweet twist in Sally’s tragic story.
Since her children’s father Ali Elamine took Lahela, nine, and seven-year-old Noah on a trip to his hometown of Beirut and never returned, Sally has welcomed three more children with her now-partner Brendan Pierce: Eli, Izac and baby Iylah.
Sadly, her three youngest have never met their halfbrother and sister.
“Even though you are worlds apart, you are all siblings and connected by heart,” Sally wrote in a letter on Facebook. “And as your mother, I know in my heart that you will all be together one day. I hope that day comes sooner than later.”
This story is from the September 21, 2020 edition of New Idea.
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This story is from the September 21, 2020 edition of New Idea.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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