Bitter family saga as mothers discover sons were switched at birth | 60 Minutes Australia

robbing Dawkins sandy Dawkins gavin clinton parker Meg's clinton parker for people still dealing with one unbelievable event pitt disastrous hate [Music] this extraordinary story began 23 years ago right here at the nigel hospital about an hour's drive from johannesburg on a hot summer's afternoon two women who were complete strangers gave birth to two boys they were the only babies delivered that day but then a nurse made the most appalling mistake the babies were given to the wrong mother they were switched at birth the blunder meant Robin was raised by sandy Dawkins who was poor a single mum struggling to make ends meet living on the outskirts of Johannesburg do you ever stop and think if the swap had never happened how your life might have turned it many times hundreds you know there's so many questions but I'll never know I will never know Gavan meanwhile was raised by Meg's Clinton Parker in a relatively wealthy and secure environment in the South African town of Pietermaritzburg in comparison to Robins he'd won the lottery saying I thank my lucky stars every day would be wrong but at the same time I was given a life which I've not lived and I'm still living and I don't regret anything the mix-up was discovered when a paternity suit over Gavin led to a DNA test showing he wasn't makes his son he doesn't reject him I think he quite an object a child that you've been so close to for two years we first met the mothers 16 years ago when they spoke to Richard Carlton I mean didn't you where's my baby I mean you knew you'd given birth to something you see initially I think you protect the one you've got lived you know the first few days are shocked then the curiosity comes we'll hold on a second um it's not as easy as it we's my baby you know a check of hospital records showed Meg's s baby had gone home with sandy Dawkins and it was like somebody electrocuted me I went hysterical immediately because I mean you get told at the time you've been looking over the last 20 months is not - he belongs to somebody else so the mothers were confronted by the impossible choice between the little boys they loved or the babies they had given birth to they decided not to swap the boys back a heartbreaking decision that troubles them to this day should you have swapped the boys back as he look back in retrospect yes because in trying to avoid them getting hurt in trying to avoid a lot of people getting hurt with actually I person if you have done a lot more damage it would have been easier to say MiG's he is Robin yeah I'll take Kevin there heartbreak would have been unbelievable but I think they would have been a lot less damage done at first the decision not to swap seemed to work the mothers approached each other as sisters in arms the boys happily naively accepting their lot in life we do things together we get up semester sometimes but at least three we know each other by golly if you weren't sure I don't think we would have had a good time because we like brothers it's to each other it's not easy yeah I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy [Music] but by the time Robin was 15 when I first met him the grim realities of his meager life with Sandy were hitting home it's difficult if I've wanted anything I've had to walk to work towards it I've never just had it come towards me I'm not saying I've never had anything what I say goes I've given gets things easy the year was 2004 Gavin living Robins life was very comfortable with his lot did you ever want to go and live with Sandy no really I'm happy down here you're happy with the life that you accidently were given yeah do you feel sorry for Robin but Meg's felt her biological son was becoming a lost boy filing hopelessly at school isolated from his peers needing to be rescued from his life of disadvantage so you do see the day that you will get your son back I have to see that day for that day is not there then test to be it's not negotiable you really do miss your boy don't you and so at the age of 15 encouraged by Meg's Robin made the life-changing decision moving across the country to live with Meg's and Gavin yes I mean I love Sandy I mean she's my mom for 15 years and sort of leaving your mom after 15 years is life not the easiest thing or decision you're gonna make [Applause] she's been left with nothing yes good nice huh answers one denies she's very happy with what she's achieved you know I mean she's ruined people's loss he's just not the way to look at it whose lives she's ruined man for starters I can understand it if it was me I'd be devastated but I'm not sending him back because she's so I'm not gonna be sorry because I won I'm damn glad I won but for mates victory would soon prove bittersweet soon the Sun she fought for became the Sun she fought with principally over Robins attitude to his new school Meg's at its worst what was it like under this roof with Robbie I know that my expectations are probably too high and having had the contact of them I understood that he had he knew what we expected from him and enhance that I expected too much too soon but I wasn't wanting it for me I wanted it for him when I'm constantly under pressure you're gonna turn me into dragon it's not who I am so it was like I was in a bottle and the lid was closed do you think she was trying to cram in all those missing I think so definitely so for me to try and change in two three years to just should make or to to keep her happy like on a crowd and I thought I could do it but I can't and so when he was 18 Robin dropped out of school and hit the road winding up in the far north of South Africa in a town called Louis Ricard where he now works hand-building Safari reads okay mask of your gross sense of pride of course a long way from your skateboard in Johannesburg hundred percent tinkering with that whilst Robin forged ahead creating a new life a new identity he broke the heart of his biological mother he left behind but when he lived failure then you wanted all the right things for the wrong reasons but they just didn't fit into planes and when he left I just went doulica I just living for what the other big casualty was the boy's relationship Gavin was enraged by Robins behavior for me if you had someone that I care about it's a matter of I'll either kill you or you get the hell away from us so yeah why did you feel that you wanted to kill him it's the fact that he hurt makes I mean she will felt extremely betrayed and really hurt when he walked out he had given him a home for three to four years she was looking after I'm providing for him and he walked out just throwing everything back at us the complete breakdown of his relationship with Robin wasn't the only thing to contend with Gavin was wrestling with where he fitted in so three years ago via Facebook he announced that he was gay it doesn't make you any difference I mean I still have left the same way I did before the only difference is now instead of hooking up with a goal I get with the guy so there's no difference really and yeah the world's perception sometimes does get in the way but at the same time I can still get up there and beat the crap out of you if you've got something to say if needs to be sorry I'll take that as a warning that way I think I was more disappointed with how to fix me I'd rather didn't how to fix him now and I you know the whole grandchildren thing with him I mean I said well you know we can adopt I said no no no we did we try that little che the child thing it doesn't work for me which brings us to a delightful twist in this lifelong saga [Music] Robin is now a father he met and fell in love with Lisl and when she fell pregnant they married hello darling James and she beautiful is your mama and your daddy how old's James and I'm Peter I'm Lisa how do you do Lisl good yeah I've known this man longer than you have and you bake the data and with new life has come a fresh perspective on the impossible decision made long long ago has it given you some understanding of what Meg's and Sandy went through there's definitely I if I have to find that he's not mine there's no wiser giving back I bet I would make a decision of not getting to know the other child because I what I've got is good and keep it that way oh yeah well I wouldn't want Impe to know I would just keep it a secret and just leave it that way and that's the easy answer the problem is is he would he would still want to know about that other child he says not he would have no contact and if I'd done that we would he be now worse off should you have swapped the boys back no I got us I still think I got the best of both worlds even with all the so you still regard yourself as a winner I don't think anyone wins nobody's won anything at the end of the day it's we both sitting with absolute chaos on our hands something that it's irreparable you can never fix it up just let you feel it has been an extraordinary journey one that has had its share of casualties Sandi takes no part in either of the boys lives robbing like the prodigal son has returned to Meg's his family with a son of his own sweet baby James has helped mend the rift between two brothers I think he wants me and mother and son I think we've realized from it that there's nothing more important than family it doesn't matter about the differences firmly stick together they don't collect little issues get that big we should never have allowed it to get that big so this little man is what we could call the bridge between YouTube I guess we could yes a rickety bridge no no good no good fundation hello I'm Liz Hayes thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusives 60 minutes content

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 1,897,147

Rating: 4.6589289 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Ellen Fanning, Karl Stefanovic, Ray Martin, Jana Wendt, Jeff McMullen, Jennifer Byrne, Mike Munro, Richard Carleton, Tracey Curro, Peter Harvey, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, Sarah Abo, Sandy Dawkins, Megs Clinton Parker, switched at birth, south africa, family, issue

Id: lIdDXBHKejw

Length: 14min 11sec (851 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 18 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/JurijFedorov]

I don't usually post that much here, but this doc is so damn weird that I had to post it. It frankly looks like a mockumentary. Nothing about it seems real but that's because Australians have this weird style to their filmmaking where everything is sorta a hidden gag or a weird depiction of something basic in a hidden way.

There is another doc on the same topic but set in South Africa.

Mothers discover their babies were switched at birth | 60 Minutes Australia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZKwX6F_2_g

[u/Bopbahdoooooo]

I just watched it. My heart is broken for Ms. Dawkins.

[u/easilypersuadedsquid]

poor sandy left with nothing

[u/[deleted]]

Wait. I'm confused.

They were swapped okay that I know. But Meg is the "rich"/middle class(?) woman and got the other kid while Sandy the "poor" woman got Robin?

And Robin started living with Meg and the other one? And in the end Sandy got nothing.

Why did he leave Sandy?