Reunion takes friends back on journey of a lifetime

A young South African woman, Laurain Cohen and an Australian man, Bill Atkinson, met and travelled in Europe together 57 years ago, and then went their own way, losing touch. Over the years, they both regretted not maintaining their friendship.

In June this year, Atkinson reached out to the SA Jewish Report Facebook page for help in trying to find her because he knew she was Jewish, and thought it was a good place to start.

The 20 June post read, “In 1966, I travelled around Europe with a South African girl named Laurain Cohen. Late in 1967, I stayed with her and her family for three months in Hillbrow. Her parents owned a hardware shop, and she had a sister named Myrna who lived in London. I’m visiting South Africa later this year with my wife, Gayle, and would love to have a catch-up with Laurain. Can anyone help so that I might make a connection?”

Within a few hours of the post going up, the son-in-law of Cohen, whose married name is Romm, spotted the post and was convinced he knew who was described in the post. Aylit Romm Lurie, Romm’s eldest daughter, messaged Atkinson to explain who she was. She went on to say, “I know who you are very well because my mom has spoken about your trip forever and ever.”

This led to the reunion in Johannesburg on 24 October of Romm and Atkinson, who met when they were 23 and are now 80.

“I looked at him, and he looked at me, and we just hugged,” said Romm, “It was as if no time had passed between us. We said we would have recognised each other anywhere. We both look the same, bar a few crinkles.”

Romm said she felt countless emotions when Atkinson visited her home after finding each other again.

“It’s so much harder to find a woman than a man because of the change of name,” Romm told the SA Jewish Report. “He didn’t know what my married name was, and then he thought to Google Jewish newspapers to try and find me.”

Romm never forgot Atkinson, and had told her children so many stories about the “amazing European adventure” that she had had as a young woman. Because of this, her children were almost as excited to meet Atkinson as she was.

“Bill had become a legend in our house,” said Romm. “I had tried to find him myself a while ago, but that ultimately came to nothing. I would also ask my sister who often travels to Australia to see if she could find him in a phone book or something, but it was to no avail.”

Romm still has a photograph of Atkinson cutting her hair on her mantlepiece, which has been there for more than 50 years.

She recalled how she was 23 years old when she travelled to visit her sister in England. While there, she really wanted to take a trip throughout Europe, but had no way to do it. She went to South Africa House in London and saw a message on the notice board that two young Australian guys were looking for people to join them on their caravan trip through Europe, and she took a chance.

The two guys were Atkinson and Barry Komiskiey. The three spent 10 months together, visiting Europe and the Middle East. Atkinson and Romm went on to travel the British Isles together for another three months, developing a close bond. “It was the trip of a lifetime,” said Romm. “I don’t think many girls have done what I did, but it was amazing.”

Atkinson and Romm still have the same mementoes from their trip. When Atkinson visited Romm, she said she was filled with pride that she was able to prove to him that their trip was such a special part of her life.

Romm told the SA Jewish Report that when the trip was over, she returned to her family in Johannesburg, and Atkinson followed her and used her parents’ home as a base while he travelled South Africa before returning to Brisbane.

They then lost touch, got married, and went on to have multiple children and grandchildren. Romm said she thought she would never see her friend again, and was so excited that they were able to make contact and rekindle their friendship.

Atkinson recently also sought out and found Komiskiey in Australia, and has put Romm in touch with him too.

After Romm and Atkinson’s reunion, they felt like they had insufficient time together and weren’t able to catch up fully with each other as they would have liked to. “It left me a little bit empty because I had a dinner party for them, and I had my children and a few friends there. I was so busy being a host that I never got to speak to him properly,” said Romm.

However, she was grateful for the little bit of time together, and for being able to rekindle their friendship even if there was little chance of them being able to meet up again.