After arriving on the shores of NSW’s Ulladulla last Wednesday, New Zealand man Alan Langdon is facing charges for taking his daughter Que on the three-week-long trip across the Tasman Sea.
The pair departed from Kawhia and intended to travel to Bay of Islands over Christmas, only for Langdon to change course after a rudder broke on his vessel. According to him, travelling to Australia was safer than returning at that point.
A wide-scale search for the pair was under operation after Que’s mum, Ariane Wyler, reported them missing.
Wyler flew to Australia and hired child recovery expert Col Chapman to assist in reuniting with Que.
After Que and her mother met again, Chapman compared the event to a TV scene:
“The mum had become a little bit frustrated in not seeing her daughter for so long so she went down to the marina at Ulladulla harbour where her daughter was in the hope of just seeing her or just being able to look at her.“…Que looked up at her mum, her mum looked at her and Que just rushed over and grabbed mummy’s leg and just didn’t let it go.“That went on for a little while. There were tears, there was crying. Que jumped up in her mum’s arms, they were hugging each other.”
According to Chapman, Que left with Wyler of her own volition and is now in her care.
He also claimed Langdon’s trip to Australia breaches NZ Family Court orders not to take Que out of the country.
Earlier, Langdon denied taking Que from New Zealand as part of a custody issue.
Langdon has been charged with taking a child from New Zealand, and is due to appear in court on January 25.
Source: ABC / NZ Herald.
Photo: Facebook.
