Gill Thompson, 73, had no idea about her father Colin Bardsley until she received a Christmas card from her paternal grandfather at age 25. She learned he had relocated to Cape Town, South Africa, remarried, and had a son named Michael Bardsley — but was unable to find him following initial searches in the late 1990s.
How the Search Resumed
Gill, a retired PE teacher from Llandudno, north Wales, was inspired to resume her search in August last year when an opponent at her bowls tournament had the same name. Her daughter Sammy, 31, managed to track Michael down on LinkedIn — recognizing him as her half-brother thanks to the family nose.
Michael, 64, a sports film producer from Cape Town, and Gill came face to face for the very first time at Colwyn Bay railway station in north Wales on June 8.
Emotional Reunion
Gill said: "I felt very emotional as I watched Mike's train coming in. We embraced as only long-lost brother and sister could do. We had a happy evening catching up on a lifetime of memories." Michael added: "I saw the joy on my sister's face and a flood of emotion and memories of my dad kicked in. As we hugged the reality sank in - after a lifetime apart I was now holding on to my closest living relative. It was worth every mile of the frustrating journey of cancelled trains."
Family Background
Gill's parents — Joyce Priestley and Colin Bardsley — married in 1952 after discovering Joyce was pregnant with Gill, but the couple separated before she was born and later divorced. Gill said: "I just never knew anything about him. I never asked and mum never said. I was just happy and I never thought about it." Following Joyce's death at age 56 in 1986, Gill found a photograph from her parents' wedding — seeing her father's face for the first time. She said: "It felt as though mum wanted me to find it eventually. I was amazed and excited to see it. He looks quite like me."
Coincidence and Persistence
Gill discovered her father had remarried and had a son named Michael when she got her first home computer 27 years ago. However, as her then-husband Ian Hainey was seriously ill with oesophageal cancer before passing away in 2004, she put the search on hold. In August 2025, Gill learned she was due to face a Michael Bardsley at the Colwyn Bay Crown-Green Bowls Festival. It turned out not to be her half-brother, but the coincidence sparked her daughter Sammy to track down a LinkedIn profile belonging to a sports film producer named Michael Bardsley in Cape Town. Sammy sent him a direct message including her phone number. Gill said: "Sammy was sure it was him. She said we have the same nose. It's the same nose my dad had, and my son has it too."
Connection and Future
Sammy received a phone call from Michael in September, leading to a half-hour FaceTime chat. Michael had always known his father had another child but lacked details to find her. Gill said: "I was so excited and nervous. He said 'this is the most wonderful thing ever', and it was. We talked for ages. We both laugh a lot, and we're both into sport, and both work in sport." Through Michael, Gill discovered her father had a sister with three children — cousins Jacqueline, Nicola, and Alison. The siblings now exchange texts weekly and FaceTime every fortnight. Michael spent two weeks staying with Gill in June, and they also met their cousins. Gill, who shared her story with Sell Us Your Story, said: "We're both delighted. This wouldn't have been possible at all without the Internet."
