24 October 2024
Residents of Southern Cross Care Caloundra Aged Care, Ruth and Lyle May, celebrated an extraordinary reunion that brought a long-distance friendship full circle. Recently, they finally met John and Kelly Moriarty from the U.S. face-to-face—a friendship that began 20 years ago with a simple message in a bottle.
The journey began on Australia Day in 2004 when Ruth and Lyle were aboard a container ship traveling from Los Angeles to New Zealand. They decided to release a message sealed in a Steinlager bottle into the Pacific Ocean. One year later, John and Kelly discovered that very bottle on the shores of Ni’ihau, Hawaii—an island known for its inaccessibility, only reachable via special helicopter tours.
Reflecting on the moment he found the bottle, John shared, “It’s odd that I would even find the bottle in this remote location. The debris that washed up on the beaches hadn’t been cleaned up for possibly hundreds of years. Also, you would never guess how many bottles make it ashore with no lid. The pilot has found only two notes in a bottle in the 13 years he has lived in Kaua’i, and even then, could never make out the note. Our tour group couldn’t believe our luck.”
Since John’s excited two-page reply, the couples have exchanged countless letters, bonded by their shared sense of adventure and curiosity. After two decades of friendship built across oceans, John and Kelly made the trip from their home in San Diego, California, to finally meet Ruth and Lyle in person at the home in Caloundra.
John shared his excitement about this long-awaited encounter, saying, “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find a message in a bottle. Thanks to Ruth and Lyle, I was. It gave us such a thrill, and now, every time I’m at sea, I’ll continue this tradition.”
Ruth and Lyle echoed this sentiment, expressing their joy at the reunion: “We never imagined that a simple message in a bottle could lead to such a deep and lasting friendship. We’re overwhelmed to finally see them face to face after all these years.”
Karen Wilson, Residential Manager at SCCQ Caloundra, also shared her delight: “It’s not every day you form a lifelong friendship through a message from across the ocean, and even rarer that those friends come to visit you! We are always amazed by the incredible life stories our residents bring with them. Ruth and Lyle’s story enriches our community and reminds us of the magic of human connection.”
Lyle, Ruth, John and Kelly meet in person.
Original bottle and letter released by Lyle & Ruth.
