Love Letter Found on Moruya Beach After 30 Years at Sea

In February 1943, a remarkable discovery was made on beach near Moruya. Mr W. Birch of Garland-town found a bottle washed ashore, carrying a love letter that had drifted at sea for 30 years. Amid the turmoil of the Second World War, the tale captured the public’s imagination and was published in newspapers across Australia and New Zealand.

Inside was a faded sheet of notepaper, still legible despite its long voyage. Dated 5 October 1913, it was addressed to Mr J. Wolfram, Canterbury, New Zealand, and signed by “Margot”:

“Dearest, I am sending afloat this little note. If it reaches you I will be very happy. It conveys just all I would say if I were near you and perhaps even more than words could express. Only you will understand. Au revoir for a little while, with heaps of love. Your Margot.”

Moved by the find, Mr Birch forwarded the letter to the Christchurch address. From there, the story crossed the Tasman, appearing in New Zealand newspapers and drawing fresh attention to the mysterious recipient.

According to the Matamata Record (February 1943), J. Wolfram was a young German wool buyer who first came to New Zealand in 1908, representing the Antwerp firm L.F. Rhodius. Well known at wool sales, he spent one winter in New Zealand and became a member of the Canterbury Club in 1911. He left in 1913—the same year Margot’s note was written—just one year before the outbreak of the First World War.

Wolfram never returned to New Zealand. Yet decades later, he was encountered in London at the wool sales, by then a partner in a German firm based in Amsterdam.

A simple love letter, cast upon the sea, had travelled across time and distance to resurface in wartime Australia. Its rediscovery offered not only a glimpse into a private romance but also a poignant reminder of the way human stories can endure—drifting, waiting, until the tide carries them back into view. The story captured the public imagination, making national news and being reported across the country.

Story taken from The Evening Advocate (Innisfail, Qld. : 1941 – 1954), Friday 12 February 1943