It’s been 17 years since Robert Whiteley, of Pelican Park, last saw his younger brother, Alan, and he’s hoping to be reunited with him before he dies.
An emotional Mr Whiteley, 68, holds up old black-and-white photographs of himself and Alan when they were boys. He hopes someone will be able to put him in touch with Alan, whom he last saw in 2005, when they both left their sister’s Nerina Crescent home in Fish Hoek after it was sold.
Mr Whiteley says his brother worked on fishing vessels that departed from Cape Town and Hout Bay and is either 65 or 66 years old, but he couldn’t give more details about who he was employed by or if he had changed jobs.
After leaving his sister’s house, Mr Whiteley lived in his bakkie and on the streets for a number of years, and he lost all contact with his brother and other siblings.
It was only a few years ago when social services stepped in and helped him get into Abbeyfield Rose Stoltz House for seniors in Pelican Park.
“When I was on the streets, I was struggling to survive and was living each day as it came, but I always longed to find my brother,” he says.
“If he is still alive, I would like to meet up with him again. I miss him terribly and want to reconnect because I may not be around for much longer, so I am desperate to find him or find out what happened to him.
“Before I close my eyes, I want to have at least spoken to him or know where he is in the world.”
Neither of the brothers was married or had children – at least not up until they last spoke to each other.
The childhood pictures he has of his brother are the only ones he was able to hang onto while living on the streets. “I lost everything when I was homeless, including family heirlooms and pictures so I don’t have an updated picture.”
Mr Whiteley is also not computer literate and doesn’t have social media to ask for assistance, but he hopes someone will be able help after reading this article.
“I don’t have much money; I can’t pay for a private investigator, so I’m hoping that this article will yield some results.”
Anyone with any information about Alan Whiteley can contact Robert at 081 789 4527 or 021 396 7022.