HELP us solve the mystery of a box of medals dating back almost 100 years.

The young A D McLeod would probably have been 16 or 17 when he won a number of gold medals for junior-grade sport in the early 1920s.

A winner in running, cricket and football, he was a true all-rounder who obviously took pride in his accomplishments and those gold medallions he secured to a rose-gold chain.

The medallions and later awards and tokens tell the story of a man who cared for others and a life well lived – but who was A D McLeod and how did his precious keepsakes find their way to the tip at Stuarts Point?

As the man who found the medals, this is the mystery that Carey Grace from Grassy Head is hoping readers will help him solve.

“About two weeks before Christmas I took some garden waste to the tip and parked near a middle-aged couple who’d thrown out boxes of stuff,” Carey explains.

“After I’d finished, I wandered over to see what they’d left – as you do when odd bits and pieces come in handy for small repairs.”

Carey took home a box with nuts and bolts and bits of wire, stowed it on a shelf in his garage and forgot about it until he needed to replace a bolt on his secateurs.

“I was looking for the right size bolt when I picked up a small box stamped with the words ‘Europa Travel Clock’ and was amazed to find it contained an assortment of medals, awards and things,” Carey said.

Certain the box was thrown out mistakenly, Carey contacted all the McLeods he could find without success.

“They’re part of a family’s history I’m sure, and they’ll be upset to find them missing,” Carey said.

Now, it’s over to you, readers – can anyone shed some light on the mystery of the medals?

If you have information on A D McLeod or his keepsakes, contact us here at News Of The Area, we’re keen to solve this mystery too.

Email media@newsofthearea.com.au.

 

By Susan KONTIC