Validation

Kym understood the suspicion of people. The story sounded far fetched to him as well. A bottle half-buried in the sand found with a message from the year 1886 completely intact, he got it. But he made a very strong point, “I can’t possibly pull the wool over two German national agencies and the WA Museum”. And that is true, both these agencies have validated this story by sharing their own opinion. 

Genuine Message

To further prove that the story is not fake, Kym had one more pillar of support. The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany officially declared the message as genuine. Dr. Anderson pointed out the structure of the bottle, a narrow neck, and thick glass, helped in keeping the message intact.

A World Record

The bottle was discovered by Tonya after 131 years of it being thrown into the sea. The Guinness World Records named it the “World’s oldest message in a bottle”. The previous record was held by a 108 years old message in a bottle.

A Remarkable Find

Kym and Tonya were overwhelmed by the turn this journey took. They were just on a casual stroll on the beach and the next thing they know, they have made a world record. Tonya wrote online, “To think that this bottle has not been touched for nearly 132 years and is in perfect condition. I’m still shaking. This has been the most remarkable event in my life”.

Loaning It Out

The Illman’s have loaned the bottle and the message to the Western Australian Museum for two years where it will remain up for display to the public. Kym was delighted to loan the find to the museum saying, “It is truly an impressive find and thanks to the wonderful international and interdisciplinary cooperation of science and research, it can now also be shared with the world.”