to biological dad, 55 years on
When Allan Heta Cleaver spat into a tube in 2019, little did he know that his DNA test would lead him to finding his biological father, 55 years after his birth.
It would be the second full circle in his life: from becoming a sex worker at age 14, to living in a penthouse overlooking K Road in middle age; from not knowing his biological origins, to returning with his father to his tūrangawaewae.
Handed over to his adopted family at as a week old baby, Cleaver’s adoption was closed until law changes in 1985 made it possible for him to access his original birth certificate, and with that, the name of his mother.
But when it came to finding out his father, he hit a wall: on his birth certificate, no name was recorded, a common practice for young unwed mothers at the time.
Link to article: DNA testing leads to biological dad, 55 years on | Stuff.co.nz
