Aussie council's incredible find in landfill: 'Talk about a stroke of luck'
An Aussie family mourning the loss of their beloved patriarch has been reunited with his "priceless" war medals after they were accidentally thrown out and taken to a tip. Thanks to the efforts of a keen-eyed council worker who made the incredible discovery among the mountains of rubbish, the sentimental medals have now made it home.
Lockyer Valley Regional Council, in Queensland's southeast, revealed the amazing outcome on Monday, sharing with the local community that the medals had been found. "Talk about a stroke of luck," the council said. "Fate intervened last week when an eagle-eyed council worker made a needle-in-the-haystack discovery at Gatton Landfill.
"Tim, one of council's heavy machinery operators, was working at the facility when an unusual container caught his eye in a pile of rubbish, prompting him to take a closer look," the council continued.
"Opening it up, he was startled to find four official war medals inside and immediately reported the surprise find to his supervisor."
After posting about the find on social media, the post quickly attracted thousands of responses from Aussies around the country, including the daughter of the Aussie digger who had been awarded the medals.
"I found out that a heap of my deceased dad's stuff was taken to the Gatton dump the week before," she said, explaining that when she visited the tip to ask about the items, she was told they were likely buried.
The woman, who did not respond to Yahoo's request for further comment, didn't explain exactly how her father's belongings were accidentally taken to the tip, but made it clear how devastated she was by the loss, and just how grateful she is to have the medals returned.
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"They were in an old hexagon chocolate tin with my dad's favourite black Bundy rum polo shirt, and a couple of yellow post-it notes with the last shopping lists he gave me. Sounds silly to have them like that, but it was sentimental to me," she wrote.
"He was the best man in the world. I am very grateful to have his medals back, and they are now with my mum."
In Australia, war medals are typically held by veterans who served in the military or by their families who keep them as cherished mementos of a loved one's service.
These medals may have been awarded for participation in major conflicts such as World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or more recent deployments in the Middle East. For many Australians, they carry emotional and historical significance, representing personal sacrifice, national service and family pride.
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