message in a bottle newspaper article

THE BRANDON SUN THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015A2 LIFESTYLES

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BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO DORIS PRATTI am a member of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation and I would like to congratulate Doris Pratt on her

Woman of Distinction award. I am a former student of hers and would like to thank her for the knowledge andwisdom that she shared and continues to share with our people. I truly appreciate who she really is and I wouldlike to give her a really big hug and a thank you for all she has done for our community.

THANKS FOR THE HELPING HANDSAs a resident of Hillcrest Place I would like to thank the staff member and two gentlemen who helped me out

when my scooter was stuck on the railroad tracks at 26th Street last Friday. Its great to know there are stillcitizens willing to give others a helping hand.

THANKS FOR SUCH GREAT CAREI entered the Brandon Regional Health Centre March 11 for surgery as an outpatient. I would like to thank all

the staff of the BRHC for their wonderful treatment and care. The doctors and staff informed me and my familyof every procedure, both before and after surgery, which made me feel much more comfortable, in an alreadyscary situation. Thank you very much.

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FA R M T I R E STHE LEADER IN THE FIELD

Message in a bottle for Brandon

When I was young, many moons ago, Iremember thinking how much fun it wouldbe to put a message in a bottle and send itinto Clear Lake, hoping someone in a far-off land would find it and respond, and wewould be friends forever.

Well, later in life I realized Clear Lakewas, in fact, A LAKE and not an ocean and such an act of littering could fetch mea rather large fine.

So it was something I would not thinkof again, until my first trip to the oceanback in 2003. But once again, my planswere dashed when I realized that unless Ilaunched my message in a bottle a mile orso off the beach, the waves and tide wouldsimply bring it back to shore.

Fast forward to this years STARJET inthe Bahamas.

We just finished a week of broadcastingfrom the beach when Cathy Peters showedme a bottle she found on the beach.

In fact, she had spent the last two daysof our trip speculating about what wasinside, and who could have sent themessage in the bottle.

She was somewhat emotional whentalking about it, since she was simplyspending some time on her own at the endof another spectacular day, simply walkingalong the sand and soaking up the majestyof the islands.

Then, in front of her, drifted the smallwine bottle.

Inside was a letter written on foolscap,and rolled to fit into the mouth of the bottle.When Cathy opened the bottle, I thoughtshe may have to break it the letter didnot come out easily. But, with the help ofsome chopsticks, out it came.

And while I thought at first someone mayhave tossed it from another part of theisland and it simply came bouncing back,it was, in fact, from a little girl reaching out.That little girl was 11-year-old AbigailPickard, one of three members of herfamily on a Disney Cruise of theCaribbean.

One night ironically, the night of ourarrival in the Bahamas, Feb. 28 thefamily thought it would be neat to put threenotes in three bottles and see where theyended up.

And just like the movies, it landed on a

beach all right and ended up in a far-offland, too. The bottle and the letter wouldcome to Canada.

Because as Cathy read the note to the StarJetters in the Bahamas, many gasped andothers awwwwed as the little girlintroduced herself and told us she likedcats and acting in plays.

There was an email address and a phonenumber, and Cathy immediately called.Abigail was in school, but her mother Chari,while initially curious as to why a strangermay be calling, was quickly overjoyed withthe news her bottle was found.

Abigail was over the moon excited. Cathyand Abigail spent almost half an hourtalking on the phone, and the followingweek, I caught up with the family and wetalked about the experience on StarFM.

Abigail: I probably figured it would justdrift around in the ocean and nobody wouldever find it, or for some reason it would sinkor something. But my Dad said it wasimpossible.

Tyler: I thought Cathy was playing a jokeon us, but your note turned out to be real! Wecouldnt wait to find out more about this girl andher family. Youre from Indiana, right?

Abigail: Yup, I live in Granger, Indiana(near the famed University of Notre Dame).Its really cold here in the winter, I can tellyou that. It dips below zero (Fahrenheit).

Tyler: You had GPS on the ship and kepttrack of where you were when you tossed the bottle

in the ocean, right?Abigail: We had just left Castaway Cay,

and were sailing back to Florida.Rodney (Abigails Dad): We were south

of Grand Bahama Island so the currentcarried it north.

Tyler: Tell us more about yourself, Abigail.Abigail: Im in fifth grade. I like

swimming, cats and acting. Ive been in twoprofessional productions, one was Beautyand The Beast and the other was WillyWonka.

Tyler: What did you wish would happenwhen you sent that bottle into the ocean thatnight?

Abigail: I guess I was really, reallywanting for someone to find it and stuff, butI kinda just figured probably nobody wouldever find it. I totally thought, you know, itwould drift around for years and nobodywould find it until maybe I moved out ofthe house, and when they called the house,Im not even living here anymore.

Tyler: Can you keep us updated on the otherbottles you tossed? If someone else calls you to tellyou they found them?

Abigail: All right. I will.Tyler: And since Dad took you on a Disney

Cruise, Im sure he could take you on a road tripto Canada. Im going to share this experience andinfo with Lois MacDonald and shes our tourismguru, so if you ever come to Canada, be sure tolet us all know and we will make sure youretreated royally. (The family has never been toCanada)

Abigail: Awesome! YAY!

One piece of paper. One wine bottle. Onenight on the ocean. And one little girl, whointroduced herself to a new friend ... andinstead got so much more.

BIRTHDAYS Laurie Bachewich Brian Hart

Carmen Ingram Cherise Johnston Dustin Shoemaker Rhonda McKinnon Stephanie Hunter Anita Houle TanyaAddison Raelynne Johnston JulieChampagne Derek Jago JamesOConnor Allison Collins

JOKE THIS WEEKMuldoon lived alone in the Irish

countryside with only a pet dog forcompany. One day the dog died, andMuldoon went to the parish priest andasked: Father, my dog is dead. Could yabe sayin a mass for the poor creature?

Father Patrick replied, Im afraid not.We cannot have services for an animal inthe church. But there are some Baptistsdown the lane, and theres no tellin whatthey believe. Maybe theyll do somethingfor the creature.

Muldoon said, Ill go right away,Father. Do ya think 5,000 pounds isenough to donate to them for the service?

Father Patrick exclaimed, Sweet Mary,mother of God, Muldoon, Why didnt yatell me the dog was Catholic?

Tyler Glen is a radio DJ on Star-FM. He writesa weekly column for the Brandon Sun. Twitter: @Tyler_Glen

Tyler Glen

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