Unique piece of Wearside history found in a 'dusty loft'

Thomas Veti, 48, contacted the Sunderland Echo after he searched through a ‘dusty loft’ and found a framed picture of the ‘Sunderland story’.

The history of Sunderland in one frame

It’s a 12-verse look at the history of Wearside from Benedict Biscop to Vaux. It includes the football club as well as Sunderland Minster, shipyards and pits.

It describes Sunderland people as ‘salt of the Earth’ but Thomas wants to know more about its background.

Thomas, from Canterbury, said: “My Dad was from Sunderland and moved to Kent to go to University, where he met my Mum. They got married and had me.”

His father died when Thomas was only four

But Thomas’s dad Anthony died when he was just four and he said: “I only had limited contact with his mother after that, before she died.”

Thomas’s links with any remaining paternal relatives ‘dried up completely until a few years ago’.

He said: “I decided to search for the relatives that I knew were there but didn't know. As my surname is unusual, it actually wasn't hard to do a search on Facebook and find likely candidates.

Another relative died recently

“The first person I messaged turned out to be one of my cousins. After all these years, I learnt that my Uncle had passed away only recently.

“So, it was elation to have made such a breakthrough so early on, mixed with the knowledge that  I would now never get to meet him.”

As well as searching for relatives, Thomas found the Sunderland Story.

He explained: “This was published in the Sunderland Echo somewhere around the mid to late 1970's as a centrefold.

Framed in the USA and brought back to the UK

An employee at the newspaper, Norman Goldsack, got a copy of it and this was given to my father.

It was then taken to the USA where it was either framed or reframed between 1978 and 1981.

On its return to England shortly after this time, it lay in a dusty loft until this day! I have recently retrieved it and had it reframed.”

‘I would love to watch a Sunderland game’

Thomas would love to know more about the origins of the Sunderland Story.

In the meantime, his investigations into his Wearside ancestry continues. He has visited Sunderland and met his ‘cousin, her son and my Aunt. The others I have yet to meet but I hope to return again at some point and would love to go and watch a game at the Stadium of Light.”

If you can help Thomas with more information, email [email protected]