Her feelings were varied – she was nervous, excited and emotional.

Then she heard the words  “now then sis”.

Her half-sister Tracey Vincent had just walked into Mrs Hewitt’s life – it was a heartwarming thing to see.

The sisters, until recently, had never met and had spent most of their lives apart.

Jayne is a Bomaderry resident and Tracey lives on the other side of the world in Hull, Britain.

Plans for the sisters to meet started way back in 2006 and their first face-to-face meeting recently took place at the Shoalhaven Ex-Servicemens Club.

“Jayne had her back to me and I walked up to her and said ‘now then sis’,” Tracey said

It was an emotional meeting – see video

Jayne’s daughter Sally captured their first meeting on video so they can keep it forever.

“The tears, they just flowed. It was just amazing and wonderful,” Jayne said.

So natural is their interaction it’s like they have known each other for years.

“I look at Tracey’s face and I see so much of me. We have the same eye colour and even wear the same blue eyeliner,” Jayne said.

“I loved her before I met her.”

Tracey also notices the similarities. 

“There was a picture of Jayne on Facebook the other day and she had these big eyeglasses on and I had to look twice because I thought it was me. Even my husband Ian said it looked really looked like me,” Tracey said.

The morning of their last catch-up they just could not stop looking at each other, while wiping the odd tear or two away.

Tracey said she was a bit nervous about the meeting her big sister. They only had two-and-half precious days together but it was a fun and busy time.

The sisters first spoke on the phone in 2004.

“We said ‘one day we will meet’,” Jayne said

Work and raising families meant the meeting took longer than they would have liked.

They hope to catch up more in the future.

“My sister is quiet, softly spoken and I am going to tear up just talking about her,” Jayne said.

“I am so happy she is in my life now.”

Caring was another word Jayne used to describe Tracey. Tracey is happy her sister is now in her life.

“Jayne is just a lovely person and she has done so much in life,” Tracey said.

Their dad Ken and Jayne’s mum Margaret separated many years ago and he stayed in Yorkshire and went on to have three children – Tracey along with Mark and Andrew Blackshaw.

Jayne was raised in Australia and never knew she had half-siblings.

“I always wished I had brother and sisters and they were there all along,” Jayne said.

In particular, she wanted a sister to share the good and bad times with and be a confidant. Tracey is five years younger than her big sister.

The family contact started way back in September 2006 when Mark met his half-sister Jayne for the first time. He first contacted Jayne in 2004 with words she will never forget.

“He said ‘you have two half brothers and a half sister who has been looking for you for two years’, and I went ‘wow what a rollercoaster’,” Jayne said.

She wishes things could have been different and she could have grown up with her siblings but she can't change the past.

Their father just wanted to get on with his life and did not want to make contact with Jayne.

“You know on a scale of things none of that (what happened in the past) really matters, “ Jayne said.

“Whatever happened is nobody’s fault – we have found each other.”

Tracey said their father was a good and hard-working man.

Tracey’s husband Ian ‘Vinnie’ Vincent had been planning a trip to Australia for his 50th birthday this year and a trip to the Shoalhaven fitted in well.

Mark now lives in Perth while Andrew lives in Turkey. Jayne uses Facebook to catch up with Andrew and one day hopes to meet him in the flesh.