Man tracks down siblings who sent him Christmas present as he fled war 33 years ago

Dalibor Sentic, a Croatian refugee who fled to Sweden during the Balkan War in the early 1990s, has reconnected with Welsh siblings Claire Powell and Peter Sanders, who sent him a Christmas gift more than 30 years ago. Using social media and local community groups, Sentic located the siblings from Mold, Flintshire, to express his gratitude for their kindness during his family’s displacement.

Sentic was just 10 years old when his family fled Croatia in 1991 as the country became embroiled in conflict following its independence. The journey to safety in Stockholm left him with little more than the memory of the bombs he heard and the uncertainty of starting a new life. "We had basically nothing," he recalled. "It was like starting all over again." Despite the chaos, his parents ensured he felt secure, though the transition was difficult for a child.

Years earlier, before fleeing, Sentic’s teacher allowed him to choose a Christmas present from a room filled with donated gifts. Inside was a picture of two Welsh children—Claire, then eight, and Peter, six—along with a small note on the back. Sentic kept the photo for decades, only realizing later how meaningful it had been. "The older you get, the more you understand the meaning behind small gestures," he said. "It meant a lot."

Decades later, Sentic decided to track down the siblings using the limited details on the back of the photo. He joined a Mold community group on social media, where he shared the image in hopes of finding them. Within five hours, he received a response: Claire Powell and Peter Sanders. "I couldn’t believe it was actually them," he said.

Peter Sanders, now an adult with three children of his own, said hearing from Sentic "knocked me sideways." He credited social media for making such reunions possible and emphasized how small acts of kindness can have lasting impacts. Their parents, both former teachers, instilled in them a tradition of sending gifts to children in need. "Our mum and dad were both teachers, so they were all for this type of thing," Peter explained. "We were brought up to recognize that not everybody was as fortunate as us."

The siblings have since shared the story with their own children, who were inspired to participate in similar charitable efforts. "All of a sudden, all three of them wanted to put some toys and stuff in a box and send it out," Peter said.

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