Is your name David Mills and did you carve your name into a rock in 1972?
Think of a nine-year-old boy in 1972, having to endure one of the hardships of childhood: leaving behind friends and moving to a new house, maybe even a new city.
When one young boy moved, he left a little piece of himself behind: A stone carved with the words DAVID MILLS 9 Y OLD on one side, and on the other: 1972 MOVED
A London man wants to find the boy who carved the words 1972 MOVED into this stone. On the other side are the words David Mills 9 Y Old. (Kate Dubinski/CBC)
Adam Flint is a homeowner in east London, redoing his garden and always on the lookout for free rocks. When he picked up a pile of free stones in the White Oaks neighbourhood in London, Ont., he didn't know he was also picking up a mystery.
Among those stones was the one left behind by young David Mills. Now Flint wants to find him and give back the now-61-year-old former stone carver a piece of his childhood.
Looking for David Mills
"It's a 52-year-old mystery that we would love to solve," Flint told CBC News. "You never expect to come across this kind of stuff."
Coincidentally, Flint has worked as a field technician for an archeological company, so he's well-versed in old objects holding lots of meaning. He's always loved stones and fossils, picking them up as he goes on walks and his last name is, after all, synonymous with an extremely hard, fine-grained rock.
After posting about the find on Facebook, Flint has had people talk to the David Millses in their lives. He's also reached out to two men with that name in London, Ont., but hasn't heard back. Some David Millses have reached out and told him it was not their stone.
The name 'David Mills' and '9 Y Old' are carved into this old stone and the owner wants to find the boy who did the carving. (Kate Dubinski/CBC)
"It's really nice to see people coming together to try to get this momento back to its owner," Flint said. "It takes you right back to being that kid, putting a time capsule or hiding something in your house. I think that resonates with a lot of people in the community. Maybe Mr. Mills has that question, what happened to his stone, and people want to help."
Flint found the pile of free stones on Facebook Marketplace, but hasn't been able to contact the owner because the ad has since been taken down.
He has a pitch to anyone who might be the David Mills in question, or know who he might be: "There's a good piece of nostalgia waiting for you. If I had someone reach out with a time capsule from my past, I'd love to get that back, so I'm sure if Mr. Mills is out there, he'd like the momento, too."
