A teenage magnet fisher in England pulled a safe containing thousands of dollars from a river before returning the money to its rightful owner, who had it stolen from him 22 years ago.
George Tindale, 15, had been scouring the River Witham in Grantham, Lincolnshire, with his father, Kevin, 52, when he made an incredible discovery.
The father-son duo recovered the chest from the water and, after using a crowbar to prise it open, they were stunned by what they found inside.
Among the mud and slime was a pouch containing AU$2,500 (approx. US$1,800).
“I mean, it was amazing really. We pulled this safe out and it had all that money in,“ George, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, said. ”We counted it roughly on the bank and ... we were just shocked.”
Alongside the cash were a shotgun certificate and bank cards that expired in 2004, giving George and Kevin enough information to track down the rightful owner, who happened to be businessman Rob Everett.
After contacting Rob to explain the amazing find, the kindhearted family visited him at his business in Grantham to return the stolen property on April 16.
They also learned that the safe had been stolen by a teenager during a burglary at Rob’s old office in 2000. The teen had been caught after Rob found a cap that the burglar had left behind with his name stitched into it.
“I remember at the time, they smashed into a cabinet to get to the safe,“ said Rob, who runs Winkworth and the Money Options Group. ”I was just upset that there was a nice pen on my desk, a Mont Blanc, that was never recovered.”
Since meeting up with George and his dad, Rob is “amazed” that the father-son duo were able to track him down.
“For me, I just felt there are some really nice and good people in this world. They could have kept the money, they could have said they attempted to get hold of me,“ Rob shared. ”They wanted to return the contents and the goods to the rightful owners and I think that says a lot about humanity.”
Pleased with the family’s effort in tracking him down and returning the safe, Rob gave George a small reward.
As George is a good mathematician and Rob runs a wealth management company, he has offered to give him an opportunity to work with him.
“I’d love him to work for us. He’s only 15, but gives him a bit more time and I’d be happy to give him an opportunity,“ Rob said. ”There’s a big lesson there. It teaches George that doing good and being honest and giving back is actually more rewarding than taking.”
George added: “Rob was great. If I ever want work experience when I leave school, he said the offer is always open.”
His mother, Denise, said her son started magnet fishing three years ago and that, although he started doing it in search of treasure, his work also highlights river pollution and the harm it can have on wildlife.
“George is very environmentally conscious. He always has been since primary school,” she said. “When he first started to do this, he was after treasure. Everything ends up in the rivers and canals.”
The teenager, who’s reeled in a huge arsenal of weapons including grenades, guns, and knives since he took up the hobby, said that the safe was his best find yet.
Denise was very grateful upon hearing about Rob’s offer of work experience, and added: “How nice is that? It’s just a lovely story.”
She also said it’s quite ironic that a teen boy had stolen Rob’s safe, and years later it was found by another teenager and returned to him.
