The story of Ish Kaba’s birth has been retold by his family many times.

It is not just remarkable because he was born in the back of a taxi just four months after his parents arrived in Australia from Türkiye.

That day in June 1969 was made even more special because of an incredible and heartbreaking coincidence that still brings tears to Ish’s mother’s eyes when she talks about it.

Now they’re sharing the story publicly in the hope of tracking down the man who played a crucial role, but they haven’t seen since.

‘I was so scared’

Muzeyyen Kaba was pregnant with her fourth child when she and her husband arrived in Sydney in February 1969. They were staying at Villawood Migrants Hostel as it was known then.

On the morning of June 11, Muzeyyen knew she would give birth soon.

Her contractions had begun in the early hours of the morning, but the woman looking after pregnant women at Villawood told her she still had plenty of time.

Her husband, Huseyin, dressed for work, but Muzeyyen told him not to go anywhere.

As contractions got closer, her husband hailed a passing taxi to take them to hospital.

“He kept telling me, you know, a bit more, bit more. And I put up with it for a while. And then as soon as we got out of the hostel, I said that I can’t hold it anymore.”

She gave birth on the back seat, but she knew something was wrong from the way the baby was crying.

“He’s going to choke,” she told her husband. “You have to pull him out and lay him on the seat.”

While the drama unfolded, the taxi driver sped to hospital.

“We were going like crazy, the taxi driver heard the baby crying, poor thing, he didn’t know what to do.”

When the taxi went through a red light, the police pulled them over.

“All I could see was he put up his two fingers and said [to the police] ‘Look I had two people, now I got three. What would you do?”

Heartbreaking coincidence

Now with a police escort, they arrived at the nearest hospital in Fairfield.

As mother and baby were cared for, Ish’s father thanked and tried to pay the taxi driver.

Now 53, Ish knows the story by heart. He told ABC Radio Sydney the driver refused to take money for the fare and to clean his car.

His father was shocked when the cabbie eventually told him the reason.

“He says ‘I’m just happy that mum and baby are doing well because 26 years ago, I was born in the back of a taxi. But the story here is a happy story. The one that I was in wasn’t’.”

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The driver’s mother had died while giving birth to him in the taxi.

Ish’s mother gets emotional even now imagining what the driver must have gone through seeing a baby born in a taxi just like him.

“It’s a sad and a happy occasion at the same time. So it was sad for some and for some of us it was happy.”

Search for driver

For years the Kaba family have wondered what happened to the driver. Mother Muzeyyen especially wants to find and thank him. “He’s a beautiful man,” she says.

Ish, who is a chef in the Southern Highlands, tried a few years ago to track him down, but without success.

He’s now appealing for the public’s help.

There were two newspaper articles about his birth at the time. The Canberra Times named the driver as Bob Peterson from Mount Druitt and the other names him as Robert Peterson from Green Valley.

If he was 26 when Ish was born, Mr Peterson would be in his late 70s now.

“It would be amazing if we could find this gentleman… even if he’s got a wife or kids or something,” Ish told presenter Simon Marnie.

“I hope we haven’t left it too late. Unfortunately my dad passed away a few years ago so he’s not around to see him if we do find this gentleman, but my mum would love to be able to say thank you.”

If you have any information about the taxi driver, Ish Kaba and ABC Radio Sydney would love to hear from you. Please send us an email at [email protected]