Regina (Gina) hails from a Rheinland-Pfalz wine family but she relocated to Rhodesia/Zimbabwe where she met Ellen. It was a friendship which started in Africa continued when Gina went back to Germany, living for a while near Bremen with her now husband Dr Günter Aust, before they both relocated to Bingen, her native region. Günter a former high level surgeon and Gina created a medical practice in Bingen, specializing in Sports medicine as well as serving the people of the town. Gina continued her attachment to Africa, flying back on many occasions, frequently with large medical and other donations she had collected in Germany., for rural Africans in need

Despite the war trauma, Ellen had maintained links to Germany, through a variety of people but mostly notably to her old nanny Eugenia. She related how much trepidation she felt visiting Germany for the first time after the war and how quickly she realized that this was not the place she had left. A man in the queue in front of her was returning to Germany after a holiday and was asked what was in his suitcase by the customs. He was trying to smuggle in a few undeclared items from his holiday and the answered that ‘it was just a little something’ and then admitted what it was. Ellen shook in her shoes that ‘no one speaks to a German official in such a manner’, fearing some terrible fate for the man. But the customs officer asked again and the traveler admitted the contents, at which the customs officer smiled and let him through. She said at that point she realized that this was ‘a new Germany’. That said – the people she was in touch with were older people.

Gina formed a bridge to a different Germany not only for Ellen but also brother Fritz from New York and cousin Helmut from South Africa and facilitated access to the new country and new ways of seeing things, on visits and by being in touch..