27 years later, a message in bottle has connected a Newfoundlander with man from Scotland
When Andrew Thornley of Campbellton, N.L. was 10 years old, he wrote a message in a bottle and threw it out to sea a couple of hundred kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland. A man in Scotland found Thornley's letter, and nearly three decades later, the two made contact over Facebook messenger. (Victoria Thornley/Facebook)
When Andrew Thornley was just 10 years old, he wrote a message in a bottle and threw it out to sea off the coast of Newfoundland.
In the letter, the Campbellton boy wrote about how he lives on a farm and has "106 pets," from horses and goats to peacocks and chickens.
Nearly three decades later, Andrew Park — who lives in Scotland — tracked Thornley down on Facebook to say he had found his hand-written note.
Thornley still lives on a farm with over a hundred "pets." But he's not a kid anymore, and says he forgot about the message in a bottle until Park got in touch — and sent him a picture of his note.
"When he first wrote me, he was like, 'Did you send a message in a bottle like, a while back?'" said Thornley.
"I kinda had to really think about it."
Thornley says he recalls writing the letter as part of a class assignment when he was a student at Greenwood Academy in Campbellton.
"This letter was thrown out 200 km off Newfoundland by a fishing boat," reads the note, which is addressed to "who ever finds this letter."
"I am in grade 5. P.S. write me back."
Bottle discovered in 1998
The Facebook message was not the first time the two had been in contact. However, it speaks to how the two men — older now and able to communicate instantly over digital means — have connected.
Park said he found the bottle back in May 1998 while camping and fishing off a deserted island on Scotland's west coast.
He says he was beachcombing when he spotted Thornley's bottle lying high above the water line.
LISTEN | Newfoundlander receives surprise message from man who found his message in a bottle:
Park says he sent a letter to Thornley shortly after finding his message in a bottle.
Thornley, who says he was probably around 11 or 12 years old when he received Park's letter, doesn't remember much about it. The two never stayed in touch.
Fast-forward a few decades, when Park heard about a BBC program that was looking to speak with people who have found a message in a bottle.
He recalled Thornley's letter, and moments later, he said, his wife was sorting through boxes in their loft and located the message.
Park says "it took no more than about 20 minutes to find Andrew" on Facebook.
"It's quite amazing. It just shows you the power of social media these days," he said.
Park and Thornley say they have kept in touch with each other over Facebook messenger. They first heard each other's voices through a surprise phone interview with CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.
During the interview, the two told each other they should meet up in person some time.
"It was kind of a nostalgic moment where I was kind of thinking back and remembering," said Thornley about the moment he first read Park's Facebook message.
"It was pretty interesting."
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