Mrs Phelps' granddaughter, Tamara Searant-Strachan said the family had received dozens of calls from Bay residents who had read the story, including two from Mrs Phelps' long lost sisters.
"The first phone call we got was from one of Nana's sisters, Valerie," she said.
"It was very emotional, just incredible to make contact after so long. Then we had a call from another sister who happens to live in Australia too.
"She told us Edna, nana's mum, used to come and visit her in Sydney from New Zealand and she always thought she was looking for someone or something when she came over, but the family never knew what.
"It's sad because nan and her mum both searched for each other but never quite looked in the right place."