The family of late Macleay Valley man Stanley Miles is searching for the woman with whom he shared a passionate relationship many years ago.
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Allan Miles told the Argus his family lived on the Macleay for 150 years and Stan, who was born in 1938, never left the area.
“Stan has gone now but there’s some lovely memories here,” he said. “He had a wonderful relationship with this lady named Gwen in his youth.
“They were engaged, so they certainly knew each other very well.”
However, love can be fragile and making it last even more so.
Why it perseveres in the face of some challenges and fades under the pressure of others is a mystery.
It is not known why Stan and Gwen chose to part; nevertheless, their romance extinguished and the couple lost touch.
Stan never found love again and would remain a bachelor until the end of his days.
“Stan was a rare person – totally community-minded with a deep christian faith,” Allan said. “He was an ideal employee. In retirement, he visited nursing homes to talk to older people and former customers.
“He had a very deep personal ethic about those people he had an association with, because of that, I was wondering what caused him to never take up with another partner.
“He didn’t ever have a dog. He was totally alone. He died with me by his side as his only surviving family member.”
Prior to Stan’s passing he confided in his brother.
“His biggest regret was he didn’t pursue some sort of intimate relationship with another woman – he never looked for love,” Allan said.
Stan never lay blame or revealed the reasons for the sudden breakdown of his relationship with Gwen.
“He took his love to the grave with him,” Allan said. “He was never angry or badmouthed anyone.
“But he was disappointed in himself. I just wanted to let Gwen know Stan had never forgotten her.”
While sorting through Stan’s possessions, Allan came across letters of a personal nature and an autographed photo of Gwen, wearing a nursing uniform, and holding what appears to be a graduation certificate.
The photo is signed “To Stan, with all my love, Gwen.”
Encouraged by the discovery, Allan now hopes to get in touch with Gwen.
“I was wondering if we could ask the question – does anyone know Gwen?
“And if she’s still living, the family would like to make contact with her.”
Besides a first name, the only other detail Allan knows about Gwen is she trained to be a nurse at Kempsey Hospital in the 1960s.
If you know Gwen or have any information that may assist the Miles family to locate her, please contact Allan Miles on 0412 992 997.