It would seem amazing for it to happen once; twice, and you would be right to be sceptical – but three times? That must be some sort of miracle! You just wouldn’t believe it! But ... this has happened in Australia even more than four times. So ... suspend your disbelief, and read on.

I still remember feeling amazed by this story from several years ago.

In 2007, Declan O’Rourke, an Irishman, and his new bride Antoinette chose to honeymoon in Australia, and the highlight of their trip was to be spending some time snorkelling on the spectacular Great Barrier Reef, situated in tropical north Queensland. It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world – I hope it still is. Environmental changes have provoked significant damage to what was an extraordinarily beautiful and extensive coral reef. The reef is made up of colourful coral atolls, filled with millions of nooks and crannies.

To his great distress, the young man lost his wedding ring while snorkelling – it simply slipped off, unnoticed, and descended into the warm blue waters.

When they realised it was missing, the young couple searched at length amongst the coral and water plants – but without success. So much coral, so many hiding places, it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.

They returned to Ireland, saddened by the loss of the wedding ring, as it had been specially made for them by an artisan jeweller, and was not easily replaceable. Staying longer in Australia was unlikely to produce favourable results, and a return trip was neither practical nor possible. Declan and Antoinette were resigned to its loss, worn for such a short period of time.

Yet, miracles do happen.

Paul Walker, from Manchester in England, was on a year-long backpacking holiday in Australia. He was enjoying some diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and on one of his dives, he noticed something glistening on the seabed. He was able to retrieve it – a wedding ring, Declan's. It was a month after Declan had lost it.

There were inscriptions on the inside, the names of the bride and groom, and their wedding date. Those were great clues – but how was he to locate the owner? He made it his mission to find the owner and return the ring. That too would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Yet he was determined.

He started by contacting local hotels and organisations on various islands on the Great Barrier Reef – without success. He contacted the police once he was back on the mainland. No success.

He located several local jewellers in Australia, but none had made or sold any such ring. One thought that the ring’s hallmark suggested it had been made in Ireland. The ring was about to embark on an epic journey, for Paul would not give up. After his return to Manchester, he thought of trying marriage records. No success.

He even joined a website which helps people perform random acts of kindness (www.joinme.co.uk)! One of the site users suggested an appeal on Ireland’s most popular radio program, the Gerry Ryan Show.

Still determined, Paul made an appeal over that radio station in Ireland for the couple to be found.

A certain listener heard the names mentioned on the program – and became instantly alert. He heard the names of Declan and Antoinette - his cousin and his cousin's wife! He immediately contacted Declan. The rest is history.

The ring was returned to its rightful owner after an absence of fourteen months, and a trip around the world – thanks to the honesty, perseverance, and determination of Paul Walker, and thanks to the worlds of internet, emails, and radio.

Both young men lived thousands of kilometres from where the ring was lost and found, and several hundred kilometres from each other. Where there is a will, there is sometimes a way!

Paul Walker was celebrated and honoured. He was delighted to have simply achieved his self-imposed unselfish mission – that was his reward and pleasure. Declan and his wife were thrilled. It seemed a note of extra blessing, for by the time the ring was returned, they were expecting their first baby.

Amazing as this story is, it’s not the only one.

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Here’s another smaller feel-good story, which also restores one’s faith in human nature.

A Canadian young woman on a working holiday visa in Australia was on the dive boat when a distressed scuba diver sadly broke the news to his wife that he had lost his wedding ring while diving amongst the coral.

Everyone helped in the search for it – but everyone also knows that if you lose a ring in an area of the sea which is filled with coral, it’s gone for good.

This young lady (who was working with the dive company) had returned to the dive site “a million times” in the following six weeks. One day she saw something covered with algae on the floor of the ocean, and picked it up – the missing wedding ring. What are the odds? Its return, on the tenth anniversary of the couple's first date, was met with great joy.

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In 2018 – a Scottish man, again on his honeymoon, lost his wedding ring on the Great Barrier Reef – and a few weeks later the diving company emailed him to say the ring had been found by other snorkellers!

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If you google, you will see even more stories about wedding rings slipping off fingers into the sea in Australian waters - and being found and returned some time later. 

Incredible stories? Yes. What pleased me in each of these accounts was the honesty of the finders of the lost rings. And what makes one feel good is also the joy and gratitude of their owners.

Perhaps these are modern equivalents of the Biblical parables about the joy of finding something believed to be lost forever!

"Rejoice with me, for the lost has been found."