Local Man Celebrates Family Reunion Anniversary After Early Separation

Local realtor and paralegal Colin Elsby went through most of his life without knowing his biological family but marked his two-year anniversary of reuniting with his sisters on Thursday.

During their first reunion, the siblings cooked and played board games as their first activities together at the Airbnb. Photo courtesy of Colin Elsby.

During their first reunion, the siblings cooked and played board games as their first activities together at the Airbnb. Photo courtesy of Colin Elsby.

He found his sisters through social media three years ago citing his biological aunt as a mutual friend that made the connection. He only had first names and birthdates as his only clues of his sisters.

“I did some digging and everything popped up. My sisters found the same aunt (we had) on Facebook 10 years prior to me finding her,” said Elsby. “ We didn’t know each other aside from first names and birthdates. I honestly never thought I’d meet and find them.”

He first connected with them when he saw a friend request from his sister on Facebook.

The 24-year old met his sisters for the first time at an Airbnb in Leamington, Ont. — since one sister lives in Windsor and the other in Tilbury, Ont. — where the experience was so overwhelming that the actual meeting was the opposite according to Elsby.

“It was such a calming and natural connection,” he said. “There was a possibility that we may not have clicked but it was surprisingly natural and it wasn’t super eventful, to be honest.”

Fran Reaume (left), Jennifer Reaume (middle) and Colin Elsby (right) all share the same biological mother. Photo Courtesy of Colin Elsby.

Fran Reaume (left), Jennifer Reaume (middle) and Colin Elsby (right) all share the same biological mother. Photo Courtesy of Colin Elsby.

The three often keep in contact with each other especially with the distance between their towns, the pandemic and busy lives. Both his sisters have children of their own and work in healthcare which occupies a lot of time says Elsby.

He was taken into the care of Children’s Aid Society (CAS) at five months old and officially adopted when he was three. He was born in Toronto, adopted in Cobourg and has been living in Peterborough for the past 15 years.

He is a realtor for EXIT Realty Liftlock Brokerage and a paralegal. Elsby is a board member for the Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Foundation for over two years.

He went to high school at Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute before attending Fleming College to be a paralegal, graduating in 2019. He studied to be a real estate agent while getting his paralegal diploma. He currently is studying online at the University of London for his Bachelor of Law (LLB) to become a lawyer.

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Look: The Lakefield Animal Welfare Society Desperately Needs You To Adopt Their Cats

The Lakefield Animal Welfare Society is in desperate need of your help. Their cages are full and they're running out of food. Learn more about adopting here, and donating here. Please spread the word if you know of anyone who would like to adopt a cat. Below are just some of the felines available there...

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[Lakefield Animal Welfare Society

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