This Christmas will be especially merry for Peter Anderson who, after many years of searching, will finally meet the family he never knew.

For many years Anderson, 45, from Alligator Pond, St Elizabeth, had been searching for his Norwegian father, Sigurd Anderson.

The elder Anderson was a sailor who frequently visited the island on-board a bauxite ship, and it was during one of his many trips that Peter was conceived. Peter told THE STAR that up until his seventh birthday he saw his father fairly often. These visits suddenly stopped and he never saw him again.

Norwegian roots

Determined to get in touch with his Norwegian roots, Anderson began searching for his family. He said, "All these years I've been searching on the Internet. I contacted the Norwegian consulate and they put me through to the Salvation Army. About a week after they found him [his father], but he was dead."

Though saddened, Peter was overwhelmed to learn that he had two siblings - a brother and a sister - as well as nieces, nephews, uncles and aunts.

He first made contact with his relatives in May and left the island for Norway on Wednesday. Fascinated by his story, a team from a Norwegian newspaper journeyed to Jamaica to interview Anderson, visited his hometown and met his family.

A day before his departure, Peter was understandably overjoyed that he was getting the chance to finally come face to face with his family. Though they did not know about him, his relatives were happy to learn of his existence and equally happy to meet him. He said, "They are all happy and excited to see me. They think I am the best Christmas present. I'm going to see my three aunts, an uncle and my cousins. I feel overjoyed. I had a lump inside me for so many years, because I did not know that side of my family."

He said his mother was also happy for him to meet his family. Anderson will be spending three months in Norway. Apart from being a bit apprehensive about the cold, he was looking forward to the experiences that await.