
Janine Vaughan was raised in a loving family in the small town of Muswellbrook in the NSW Hunter Valley.
Her biological mother *Anna was young, and gave her up for adoption immediately after giving birth, while the baby's father, Ian Vaughan, was away at sea in the navy.
*Anna had told Ian she had miscarried, and he had no idea he was the father of a little girl.
WATCH: Janine's life is explored in the new podcast The Night Driver by The Australian. Post continues after video.
For the first three weeks of her life, Janine was called 'Rebecca' by the nurses who looked after her.
But when Ian's parents heard the rumour they had a baby granddaughter at the local hospital, who would likely be given to strangers, they stepped in and took her into their family.
Janine grew up thinking her dad was her big brother. He married a woman called Jenny, and the couple had three children - Kylie, Adam and Rodney.
When Janine was 10, her family sat her down and told her the whole story.
She found out her biological mother had stayed in town, and in fact lived a short walk from her home, with her own family. But she seemingly didn't want to have anything to do with her.
Kylie Spelde, Janine's sister, says after having four boys, welcoming Janine into the family "completed" her grandmother. She grew up loved, and very much wa
nted."My mum had no issues. She loved her like she was her own as well," she told The Australian. "It got to the point where it was quite difficult because she'd have visits with my parents and it got to the point where it would then become difficult for Janine to then go back to Gran and Pa because she was wanting to stay. But they'd never have taken her away."