An Englishman who recently asked Times of Malta readers to help him find his Maltese father has finally met his long-lost family.

Lawrence Downes, 62, traced his late father to a Gozitan village dedicated to the patron saint who is also his namesake – San Lawrenz.

Although he sadly did not get to meet his father, Lawrence managed to meet his aunt, cousin and extended family, and gain some closure.

Lawrence visited Malta for the first time in July, after being given the opportunity to look at his care records at Lambeth Council, London.

Born in 1960, Lawrence had remained under his parents’ custody for three months as his mother could no longer look after him.

His father, Salvo Axiak, was very caring and concerned for him, and despite wanting to look after his son, the UK social service authorities would not allow it.

He was taken under the state’s care and was brought up in children’s homes in London until he was 18, he told Times of Malta.

Lawrence had always wondered who his parents were, particularly his father, but never really knew what to do.

When he visited Malta this summer, he was encouraged by friendly locals to start looking for his father or his family, suggesting he publishes an appeal for any leads in the Times of Malta.

'I was shell-shocked in a nice way'

Once the article was published, he received some tips, with locals pointing him to a notification uploaded on a Facebook page announcing Salvo’s death in March 2019.

Times of Malta reached out to San Lawrenz Mayor Noel Formosa who eventually put Lawrence in touch with Salvo’s surviving family.

When Lawrence heard back from his cousin Teo, he was told that Salvo used to recount having a son in England.

Lawrence felt “shellshocked in a nice way”. But above all, he said he was “relieved” to have traced his father’s family.

Within weeks, he set off for Gozo, where he met his father’s sister Mary, Teo, extended family and Formosa.

“It was really lovely, but a bit emotional. I also visited my father’s grave in San Lawrenz with my aunt. Again, it was emotional, but it was also quite comforting for me to see where my father was laid to rest.”

His relatives told Times of Malta they were very surprised when Lawrence first got in touch with them via email.

“Although uncle Salvu used to say he had a son when he was back in England, we had never expected to hear from him,” Teo said.

“We are glad he managed to come and meet us.

“We spent a nice time together, catching up and visiting nice places around Gozo, especially the village of San Lawrenz, where his father lived. We are so thankful for the Times of Malta and Mayor Formosa’s help.”