John Tregaskes has weeks to live, and one final wish - to be reunited with his daughters living in Canberra.
The 78-year-old Sydney man is in the final stages of terminal cancer, and has been trying to connect with his daughters via newspaper advertisements in The Canberra Times before it is too late.
After an acrimonious separation in 1991, his ex-wife and young girls moved from their home in Sydney to Canberra.
All he has are two old photographs of his daughters as infants, two letters they wrote to him a few years ago and some memories of their time together in Sydney.
Mr Tregaskes wore many hats in his working life. He worked in security and became a professional photographer before running a fish and chip shop in Gladesville.
It was during his stint as a security guard at hospital in Sydney in the 1980s that he met his eventual partner. "We were married for 11 years," he recalled.
The couple settled and their two daughters were born in Gladesville. But their relationship soured towards mid 1991, which Mr Tregaskes partly attributes to his heavy drinking at the time.
The elder daughter was almost four and the youngest just 11 months of age when they left Sydney for Canberra.
Mr Tregaskes didn't hear from them after that. Years rolled by and he switched to a fresh career in gardening.
"I never married again," he said.
Opening his post box in Rockdale a few years ago gave Mr Tregaskes a surprise.
"It was letters from [the girls] in one envelope," he said.
"I think it was seven or eight years ago. One said she was studying photography and the other medicine. I don't know when I received the letter. My memory is bad these days."
That was the last he heard from them.
"There was no address on it to write back to them," he said, with emotion in his voice.
Just before Christmas, Mr Tregaskes received the grim news from his doctor that he was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus and liver. He started chemotherapy towards recovery but a few weeks ago he stopped. He has been told to approach palliative care services.
"The cancers are in stage four. It is incurable and I may have a few more weeks," he said.
Following the death of his elder brother, Allan, three years ago, the Sydney man feels he has "got no one."
But he is now engaged in his one last attempt to find his daughters.
"I don't know where they are now or what they are doing. If not meet I would love to talk to them one last time," he said.
He fears he may lose the ability to speak soon.
In his desperate effort to contact his daughters, Mr Tregaskes has posted advertisements in The Canberra Times.
With his phone always by his side, the 78-year-old yearns for that one call from his girls.
