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Around 28 years ago, an 18-year-old Andre Robert was fishing off Gabo Island when he dropped a message in a bottle into the ocean.
He hoped it might float away to New Zealand, or even up to the Philippines, but instead, it hung around.
Fast forward 28 years to November 2014, when a young man found the glass Coca Cola bottle, which had washed up under a group of trees near the Wonboyn River and followed the instructions on the note inside – ‘If found, please return to 5 Yule Street, Eden and collect $50’.
While Andre is now living in Perth, his mother, Lyn Robert, was home when the man showed up.
But she was so shocked that she forgot to get his details, and he left without claiming his reward.
Now, the Robert family is hoping a more modern form of communication will help find the mystery man.
“I was so shocked that it would happen 28 years later that I didn’t get his name or number or anything,” Lyn said.
“He was a lovely young chap though, and the way he spoke I got the impression that he works down there at Wonboyn.
“I hope he sees this story one way or another and comes forward for his $50.
“He had the full note, but it’s very flaky and he lost part of it when he took it out of the bottle.”
Andre was equally shocked to learn of the discovery.
Naturally, after 28 years, he had forgotten all about the message, but said he would happily stick to his word and pay the finder’s fee.
“At the time, everyone was doing it so I just thought, ‘Why not?’,” he said.
“I was out on a trawler – either the Sapphire Star or the Lochiel – and we were either fishing or anchored off Gabo Island when I threw it over.
“I hoped it would go overseas, maybe to New Zealand or up further to somewhere like the Philippines or Fiji.
“It makes sense though, with the big sou’westers that it would go down into Disaster Bay and into the Wonboyn River.”
Andre said his plan in putting a reward on the note had worked.
“I didn’t want someone to find it and just throw it away,” he said.
“By putting $50 on it, they had a reason to go through with it, like this guy has done.
“It’s just amazing though – after 28 years I would have thought it would break or sink, or just fill up with water – I never thought it would still be in one piece.”
The $50 reward is now at the Magnet office for the mystery man to claim.
“[Andre] owes now – he better get me a big Christmas present!” she laughed.