Family from New Zealand looking for Rochdale couple

Update

Sue and Alan have contacted us and we have put them in touch with Graeme. Thanks to everyone who contacted us about this.

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A family from New Zealand are searching for a couple they believe are Rochdale residents.

Graeme Buchanan, from New Zealand, met Alan Lawrence and Sue Bourke in the 1980s when they were travelling in Asia.

Participating in the South East Asia Overseas Experience, Mr Buchanan, and his girlfriend at the time, met the couple in Sri Lanka in 1981.

He told Rochdale Online: “The context for my search is that my son is performing near Rochdale on his way to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the second year in a row. I thought it would be nice if Alan and Sue could go along.

“We met them in Sri Lanka as we were all doing our South East Asia Overseas Experience.

“We spent some time with them there and caught up again in mid-1981 when we went to London, where they lived at the time.”

The next time Graeme met the couple was in 1988, and by that time he believes they had moved to Rochdale.

He added: “Since then we have lost contact. I think Sue was a nurse and Alan a teacher, but my memory could be faulty.

“Every communication back in those days was by snail mail — no email, no Facebook - so we drifted out of touch as we both brought up our families.”

If you think you can help Graeme in his search, please contact the Rochdale Online news team so we can pass your details on to Graeme and his family:

• news@rochdaleonline.co.uk