Message in a bottle inspires 20-year friendship across the Pacific Ocean

Ruth and Lyle May, residents of Southern Cross Care (SCCQ) Caloundra aged care home, are preparing for an extraordinary reunion on Tuesday, 8 October. Little did they know a message in a bottle they released 20 years ago, would spark a long-time friendship with John and Kelly Moriarty from the U.S. who they will now meet for the very first time in person.

The story began on Australia Day in 2004, when Ruth and Lyle, on a container ship journey from L.A. to New Zealand, decided to drop a message in a Steinlager bottle into the Pacific Ocean. A year later, John and Kelly stumbled upon the bottle on the shores of Ni’ihau island, Hawaii – an island that is known as “the Forbidden Isle”, privately owned and only accessible via a special helicopter tour.

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 washes 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 a shared sense of adventure and curiosity. Now, after two decades of friendship built across oceans, John and Kelly have made the journey from their home in San Diego, California, to finally meet Ruth and Lyle face-to-face at their home in Caloundra.

Recalling how this encounter brought to life his dream of finding a message in a bottle after watching the film Message in a Bottle, John said, “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find one. Thanks to Ruth and Lyle, I was. It gave us such a thrill, and now, every time I’m at sea, I’ll continue the tradition.”

Ruth and Lyle expressed their excitement for the reunion: “We never imagined that a simple message in a bottle would bring us 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 expressed her delight at the reunion: “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.”

(Source: SCC Qld)