The search for the missing Yamba Public School time capsule is over after organisers received devastating news last week that pinpointed the metal cylinder’s location and shattered the dreams of excited locals eager to view its contents.
To mark Yamba Public School’s YPS 100th anniversary in 1983, a time capsule was buried on the old school site to be opened in the year 2000, but when the old school was demolished to build the Yamba Bowling Club, it was thought the capsule was unearthed and held at the new school until a decision was made about what to do with it.
In October 2022, former YPS student, Marcus Greig, and well-known Yamba local Christine Preston, whose late son was a YPS student who contributed to the contents, began the search to unearth their “holy grail”, so the time capsule could be opened 22 years after it was intended and put on display for everyone to appreciate.
Ten months of investigations led Mr Greig and Ms Preston to a Yamba’s Willam Ager Park, where a Bicentennial Committee time capsule was buried, and it was thought the YPS time capsule was in the same location.
Yamba engineer Andrew Harris kindly provided his crane for free to attempt to unearth the capsule on August 25, but despite intense anticipation among the crowd of 20 locals, including former YPS Principal Geoff Gorman, only the Bicentennial capsule was excavated.
Although they were disappointed, Mr Greig and Ms Preston said they were both determined to continue their quest to locate the missing YPS time capsule.
But late last week Mr Greig and Ms Preston received some shattering news, which once confirmed, signalled the end their 11-month quest.
“Unfortunately, we have called off the search as we received what we call credible and devastating news,” Mr Greig said.
“Two excavators who were working on the bowling club car park site, where the old school was, have come forward and claimed that they dug up the time capsule.
“Their description of the two-foot-long metal capsule 100 per-cent fit the description.
“They didn’t know what it was and threw in onto a pile of rubbish where it sat for several weeks before getting taken to the dump at Townsend.
“One of the men said he saw the capsule break open at the tip and its contents.”
Both Mr Greig and Ms Preston, along with members of the local community were devastated when the news was confirmed.
“We are very disappointed that the men involved did not think that a two-foot-long metal capsule was anything of significance,” Mr Greig said.
“Every story has an ending. Although this is not the ending we wanted, we cannot change the course of history.
“A lesson has been learnt, look after your time capsules because the clock stops for nobody.”
This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 27 September 2023.
