Woman finds father in three days via Facebook

Ash Ryalls only knew his name, what his face looked like and that he had another family in Portugal

Ash Ryalls found her dad on Facebook. Picture: Tony Martin

ASH Ryalls grew up knowing only her father's name, his face from a single photograph and that he had another family back in Portugal.

Mrs Ryalls said she understood he had been working at Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal when he struck up a relationship with her mother but then left for Sydney while she was pregnant.

"I was only 14 when my mum passed away (in 2010) so I was still like really young and mum didn't like to answer too many questions on (him)," Ms Ryalls said.

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But after some encouragement from friends, Ms Ryalls decided she wanted to find her father and decided to post a search for him on Facebook.

"I do feel like I'm entitled to know where I came from," she said.

"It was like, 'What have I got to lose?

"You always think … 'It probably won't blow up'.

"But it did and it was crazy.

"I got contact on the third day."

Ms Ryalls said she received a message request from her half-sister in Switzerland after having posted in Portuguese Facebook groups.

"It (was) all in Portuguese so I (couldn't) understand it," she said.

"Google translate has probably been my best friend."

She also learned she had another two half brothers.

"They were all pretty shocked because none of them obviously knew about me … but they were all really accepting and open to talking to me," Ms Ryalls said.

"My sister just started sending me photos of my dad and my brothers and my nieces and nephews … it's all just really overwhelming."

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Ms Ryalls said she was now working up the courage to speak to her dad.

"I'm open to hearing his side of things," she said.

"It would be quite frightening to tell your family that there is another child."

She said her grandparents, who had raised her since her mother's death, were both supportive of her decision to find her father and shocked at how soon it happened.

"It's an overwhelming feeling, it's been so quick," she said.

"You grow up feeling like there's a chunk of your life that's just absent and now it's slowly sort of feeling like it's full."

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