Umhlali Prep message in a bottle reaches Australia

A throw-away school project in 2009 has proved a time capsule for Deidre van der Merwe and Margie Wilson.

Deidre was a Grade 6 pupil in Margie’s English class at Umhlali Prep, where the class was reading Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.

The book chronicles the true story of a young girl stranded on an island off the California coastline.

In order to get the pupils interested in the story, Margie asked the class to write a message in a bottle as if they were stuck on an island themselves.

“I did this exercise for 3 years across all of my classes. We must have sent hundreds of bottles out,” said Margie.

The students wrote notes by hand and then enclosed them in old wine bottles with a cork to ensure they were watertight.

The bottles were tossed into the ocean offshore.

Deidre’s note read:

“The reason we are writing these letters is because we are doing research on a book called Island of the Blue Dolphins. We read in the book they say that she was stranded on an island with her brother and he died because the wild dogs bit him. We want to know how far the bottles will travel. So thank you for reading my letter. If you find my letter please reply and we will be waiting for your reply.”

Although hundreds may have been sent out, only 3 have been found in the last 11 years.

“One was found back in Salt Rock and another off the coast of Kenya a few years back,” said Margie.

Deidre’s bottle took a longer journey however, landing on the coast of Esperance in Western Australia late last year.

Esperance is about 720kms south-east of Perth, on the southern coastline of the state.

Australian Anna Hildebrand found the bottle snuggled between some dunes in the Recherche Archipelago and replied to Deidre.

As the note was written in 2009, the postal address of Umhlali Prep was given, as opposed to an email address or cellphone number.

A photocopy of the original note, a typed note from Anna and a photograph of the original arrived at Umhlali Prep in May.

“I live in Esperance, where there are many beaches and they are quite beautiful to wander along and look for treasures. We find turtles and shells, Sea Dragons and Paper Nautilus, wood from shipwrecks and wood from storms all the way from Indonesia.

“This is where I found your little yellow lidded bottle. It was completely sealed, with no water damage at all. I opened it carefully as I was so excited to discover a note inside. It is the most exciting moment to find a treasure from a far away place and wonder what it is inside,” wrote Anna.

The news was met with excitement from both Deidre and Margie, who had long since given up hope of getting a response.

“I imagine a lot of the bottles got broken or are still floating today. The chances of getting a response were so slim. It is such an incredible feeling to have received the letter, it almost makes me feel like a kid again,” said Deidre.

The message was not only a link between disparate countries, but a link between Deidre, Anna and their younger selves.

“You would be 22 years of age now. I am sure you would have many more stories to tell now. Hopefully this is a story you can continue telling in the future. Send another message in a bottle, because the present you have given me is one of hope and desire to keep fossicking at the beach like a little person and maybe find another treasure.”

“It’s a wondrous thing to find a treasure and then be able to share the story for years to come. Have you seen Inside Out? You certainly have made a yellow ball moment for me, thank you!” concluded Anna.

Deidre still lives in Ballito, working as a mixologist at Vape Warehouse in Shaka’s Head.