‘His family are here for him’

Sam’s sisters were all delighted to see him again and are thrilled about his plans to move back to New Zealand permanently.

“I was quite surprised when he said he wanted to come over on holiday because when I saw him in Cairns a couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure if he was ready,” says Selina. “So it was absolutely fantastic to have him back and to hear that he wants to come home after all this time.

“It will mean starting over again for him, but he knows his family are here for him.

If any of us ever needs anything, the rest of us are only a phone call away.”

“Going off to Australia and doing his own thing was something he needed to do, and we respect that,” says Shirlene. “I’ve missed him, but I know he did what he had to. He’s always been a bit of an individual, being the only boy, and he likes his privacy. That’s the way Samuel is.

“He seems a lot more relaxed now. I’m so excited about him coming back.”

Lisa says, “There are no grudges that he chose to isolate himself – it was what he needed to do. It was very emotional seeing him again. I just looked at him and said, ‘You haven’t changed a bit, mate.’”

“I think maybe he’s a little bit more mature than last time I saw him, but then we probably all are,” adds Deborah. “It’s been a long time. But when we got together, it didn’t feel as if it had been 12 years. It felt like hardly any time had passed.

“I’m so pleased he is coming back and we’re all going to be in the same country again.”

‘ It didn’t feel as if it had been 12 years. It felt like hardly any time had passed’