Long lost relatives

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understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.

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When my Dad died in 1981, I was 11 and after a couple of years the family was pretty much split in 2. Apart from my paternal grandparents, no-one else really kept in touch. In the late 90s, Mum and I tried to track down 2 cousins (and their daughters) of my dad who used to live in Hampshire but they had moved. A dead end appeared to have been reached. In 2004, I went to see Duran Duran at Wembley Arena. My (then) friend and I got there to settle into our seats before it all began. Behind us, the row started to fill up and for no other reason I turned round to see who was going to be behind us. I looked at them and literally just glanced away. One minute later I had a tap on my shoulder - "Excuse me, is you name XXXXXXX XXXXXXX?" I looked a bit dumbfounded and apologied as I didn't know who she was... it was the daughter of one of my Dad's cousins that we'd been trying to find. She just happened to have seats directly behind my friend and I in the whole of Wembley Area. She'd been about 14 the last time I had seen her in the early 80s. Much hugging, exchanging of phone numbers - and of course phone calls and reunions later, we all remain very much in touch. And it was nice to know that after 24 years, I hadn't changed a bit!! (They had also tried to find us but also to no avail)
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Date submitted:Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:53:05 +0000Coincidence ID:4922