AN American woman is desperate to track down long-lost cousins who she hasn’t seen since leaving Barrhead almost 50 years ago.

Joanne McCall, 59, who lives in Oregon, hopes to be reunited with her relatives when she visits Scotland on holiday next spring.

However, a major stumbling block facing the former Springhill Primary pupil is the lack of contact information she has for them.

Joanne appealed to the Barrhead News in a bid to be reconnected with cousins George, 65, James, 59, and 54-year-old Colin Kerr whom she believes may still live in the town.

She is also looking to get back in touch with two other cousins named Janice and Elizabeth, whose surnames Joanne thinks may also be Kerr.

Originally from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Joanne was raised in a town called Mound, on Lake Minnetonka, before her mum Mary Kerr decided to give her a taste of life in her hometown of Barrhead, aged 10.

During that time she stayed in Fenwick Drive with extended family, including her aunt and uncle Marion and Bill Kerr, and vividly remembers school days at Springhill with her cousins, as well as taking tap dancing classes and playing with friends out on the streets.

Homesickness and a longing to be with her dad and siblings back in Mound saw Joanne return after less than a year in Scotland.

But her affection for Barrhead and those she grew up with there has never left her.

Speaking of her desire to meet with the Kerrs five decades on, Joanne said: “It would mean the world to me to see them again.

“We don’t have forever and it would mean so much to connect with them again. I know my mum is smiling down and wants this reunion to happen.

“I am doing it for me and I’m doing it for her. I am hopeful my cousins will want to reconnect with me as well.”

Now the owner of a book publicity firm, Joanne has previously worked in radio broadcasting and lived in various cities across the US.

But her time in Barrhead made a big impression. Barrhead has clearly left an impression on her.

Joanne continued: “It was a wonderful, wonderful time for me. I want to see Barrhead again through my adult eyes.

“We were going to stay there permanently, but I missed my father and other siblings so much that my mum finally decided to return to the States.

“My cousin, George, was big into playing the piano. At 16 he was amazing.

“He taught me a few songs which I remember to this day. Jim is exactly the same age as me.

“Colin is five years younger. Janice and Elizabeth are older.

“I’ve searched for them on various social media platforms but their names are fairly common and it is difficult.

“While this was a long time ago now, my memories of my time in Barrhead are still very clear and very positive.”

If you know of the whereabouts of Joanne’s relatives, please email jonathon.reilly@newsquest.co.uk