Heidi Gobourne and her son, Mario, cry openly at the Registrar General's Department in St Catherine last Saturday morning after they were reunited after 12 years. The mother and son were brought together again through the efforts of the RGD's Genealogical Research Unit.

Since it was established in 1999, the Registrar General's Department's genealogical research unit has facilitated tearful family reunions that tug at the heartstrings.

But what many people may not know is that the unit also offers genealogical research, which helps clients trace their ancestry and investigate, among other things, their family's health history.

"Persons do it to find out what is the cause of death that has afflicted their families. Some do it to find out if any legacy was left. Some (do it) just to find out 'what am I connected to'," Hortense Taylor, the research supervisor with the unit, told the Observer on Saturday.

Over the last four years, the unit has attracted approximately 2,000 customers. And since July, when a father and daughter were reunited, Taylor said the public interest in the programme has increased.

Another reunion took place last Saturday morning when Heidi Gobourne and her son, Mario - who were separated for 12 years - were reunited at the RGD's office in St Catherine.

Researcher Steve Campbell, who worked on the Gobourne case, has encouraged other members of the public who may have similar needs to take advantage of the unit's services that cost $600 an hour.

"There is hope for persons who, as it were, have lost contact with their family," he said. "And it can be done, as long as the person is in Jamaica, it can be done. I am ready to go and do another research."

For Ruth Ferguson, the RGD's manager of vital statistics, registration and regional services, it's simple - the RGD touches lives.

"The RGD is not only about getting documents for persons. We are aware that we touch the lives of persons and we are conscious that we are part of the lives of persons," she said with a smile.

And they aren't done yet. According to Taylor, there will be more reunions in the future.

"Very soon we will be having more reunions," she predicted.
"In Jamaica, we realise that a lot of families are misplaced for some reason or the other. So we are trying to reach out there and reconnect families."

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS

Pepper Pot