The story of how a Filipino boy was raised by an Australian woman, Julie De Carteret, touched the hearts of thousands when it first came to light in June.
In a tale nothing short of Hollywood standards, Joel De Carteret was just five years old when he got separated from his birth mother in a crowded marketplace in Manila, in the Philippines.
He was later picked up by a taxi driver, who spotted the little boy, and was taken to an orphanage where he was adopted by the Melbourne woman, Julie De Carteret.
Earlier this year, 60 Minutes travelled to Manila in a quest to unite the two women that shaped Joel’s life – Julie and his birth mum, Herminia.
Joel De Carteret was just five years old when he got separated from his birth mother in a crowded marketplace in Manila – he was raised by an Australian woman (both pictured)
After an incredible turn of events, the now 35-year-old met his birth mum, Herminia – she flew to Sydney recently to meet Joel and Julie (all pictured at the airport)
‘You know, six months ago, I never would have thought that my biological mum would be sitting next to me and we’d get to hang out,’ Joel said on 60 Minutes (all pictured in Sydney)
Now, the show revisited the story and captured Herminia’s first ever visit to Australia, to see where her long lost son grew up.
‘Hey mum, welcome to Australia,’ a clearly emotional Joel said, as he embraced his birth mother at Sydney airport, while his adoptive mum, Julie, looked on.
‘It’s surreal, it’s really surreal, Joel said of the exchange.
‘You know, six months ago, I never would have thought that my biological mum would be sitting next to me and we’d get to hang out.’
When the pair were first reunited, they were just sobbing and hugging (pictured)
‘It’s incredible to find somebody among all those people. It’s wonderful. It’s a happy ending. Everybody loves a happy ending,’ adoptive mum, Julie, said of the fortuitous events
Herminia also felt strongly about reconnecting with her son, as did Julie – who was present in Sydney for the three-way reunion:
‘It’s just incredible,’ she said to 60 Minutes.
‘It’s incredible to find somebody among all those people. It’s wonderful. It’s a happy ending. Everybody loves a happy ending.’
Joel first set out to look for his birth mother last year – a ‘needle in a haystack’ mission which saw him searching through a country of 100 million people (pictured on 60 Minutes)
Julie said she always knew that Joel would want to find it birth mother, as it would ‘make his life complete’ (pictured on 60 Minutes)
Joel first set out to look for his birth mother last year – a ‘needle in a haystack’ mission which saw him searching through a country of 100 million people.
‘There were so many times I wanted to give up,’ he said on a previous edition of the same show.
Julie said she always knew that Joel would want to find it birth mother, as it would ‘make his life complete’.
‘I was worried about how he would be able to move on when he didn’t find his mother,’ she added.
He eventually found Herminia, after appearing on a local television network, upon which point someone sent in an old family photo to the network, which showed a young boy lost in Manila near that same market in 1985.
Herminia Rio, the young mother in the old photograph, was still living close by to Munoz Market.
The 35-year-old filmmaker is also currently making a documentary about the magical moment in Manila, when he finally found Herminia – and his story in general (pictured with Julie)
Since their reunion at the start of the year, Joel and Herminia have kept in constant touch – culminating in this week’s visit to Sydney, where Joel is showing his mum the sites.
The 35-year-old filmmaker is also currently making a documentary about the magical moment in Manila, when he finally found Herminia.
After DNA tests confirmed Herminia to be his biological parent, Joel said on the show:
‘She just started sobbing and hugged me. Probably after about five or ten minutes, I started to feel it. I was like: This is my mum.’
60 Minutes airs on Channel Nine on Sunday nights.