Mystery ring

All I had at the start of this search was a second hand lost ring story and a rough search area on an island at Wallis Lake in Forster NSW.

The ring had been lost by a group who had hired a boat earlier that day and the search area was described as « somewhere over there in the water near that sign ».

What made it worth having a go was the sea grass bed which defined the seaward limit of the search area and a vague description of where the people were seen to have been searching and reports that they had been searching in knee-deep water about two hours earlier. Objects lost in water are less likely to be « accidentally » found so the odds for success were good.

Work commitments prevented me searching until late the next day but after about forty minutes, two lead sinkers, a bottle top, the top of an old aluminium can and a few startled sting rays the ring was in the scoop just after dark. That’s one of the great things about what we do; when you think about it, there is no great need for light once your search area is set up.

The ring was white gold with a small diamond with no inscription.

That was challenge one completed but challenge two was locating the ring’s owner. With some assistance from a very helpful boat hire company and a local Council Ranger, the ring’s owner was found. The next day the ring was picked up from my office so I never met Wade (ring owner) but the irony of the name and the fact that his wedding  ring was lost in knee-deep water didn’t escape me.

Nick