Melbourne woman, Penny Mackieson, shares how she discovered her Greek background

·

In an interview with The Guardian, Melbourne woman, Penny Mackieson, said she always knew she was adopted.

In 1989, she applied for her adoption records and obtained what she thought was the name of her biological mother.

Penny spent the next two decades getting to know and love the woman until gnawing doubts saw her take a DNA test which revealed they weren’t actually related.

Adoption Information Services then connected Penny with her real biological mother – an elderly Greek woman.

READ MORE: Lies, deception and secrecy: The untold story of a Greek Australian adoptee.

Penny always knew she was adopted.

On Tuesday, after a 15-minute hearing in the Victorian county court, Penny was able to correct her birth records and include her Greek mother’s name.

“It feels like this is the first day of the rest of my life. I feel much more optimistic and I feel freer – this is who I am,” Penny said after the verdict, according to The Guardian.

Penny is now set to visit Greece for the first time in July but she will not meet her biological mother as “she said she doesn’t want contact.”

READ MORE: Greek Australian searches for missing twin sisters with help from The Eftychia Project.

Source: The Guardian.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Maria Sakkari suffers third straight Grand Slam first-round exit

Maria Sakkari’s struggles at Grand Slam tournaments continued with a third consecutive first-round loss, this time falling to Elsa Jacquemot.

Has the rising cost of living changed the way Greeks celebrate milestones?

This year, my cousins Stan and Priya Veloutsos invited me to their home to ask me if I would consider christening their little girl, Eleni.

GCM Schools dedicate 2025 to honouring Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis

The Schools of the Greek Community of Melbourne are dedicating the 2025 school year to Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis.

Premier Allan reaffirms commitment to multicultural Victoria in exclusive Budget briefing

Premier Jacinta Allan hosted a multicultural media conference on Monday at Treasury Place, Melbourne, to discuss the 2025–26 Victorian Budget

GCM school students honour anniversary of the Battle of Crete

Year 9 students from the Greek Community School of Melbourne participated this year in the commemorative event for the Battle of Crete.

You May Also Like

$1 billion package proposed by NSW Government to compensate taxi licence owners

Under a proposal by the NSW Government, compensation payments for NSW taxi licence owners could increase from $20,000 to $200,000.

‘Don’t Cry, Dance’: Nina Angelo’s novel preserves the life story of her Greek Jewish parents

In her new book Don’t Cry, Dance, Nina tells the story of her Greek Jewish parents who met in Auschwitz amid the Second World War.

Students from Melbourne’s Greek community enjoy Easter workshops

On the mornings of Tuesday and Wednesday, kindergarten teachers carried out with a lot of imagination and passion a workshop.