Retriever snap finds camera
In a modern-day twist on the message-in-a-bottle tale, a photograph of a beloved dog found on a camera that washed ashore at Middleton Beach sparked an online search campaign.
Albany residents Kevin Jones and his daughter Gabby were taking two-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever Harry for his daily walk along Middleton Beach when Ms Jones threw a stick for the pooch to retrieve in the water.
Wading in after the dog, Ms Jones' digital camera fell from her pocket into the water.
The pair put an advertisement on Gumtree and Albany Buy and Sell and, after receiving no response within two days, took down the notices.
On January 23, fellow Albany resident Sally Maddison was walking along Middleton Beach when a camera washed up before her feet.
"I took it home, whacked the sand out of it and looked at the photos," she said.
Ms Maddison said she was surprised the camera had lasted so long in the ocean, earning its name Olympus Tough.
The camera mainly contained photographs of the golden retriever, so she posted a photo of the dog on Facebook, where the cry for information received more than 100 shares and 29 responses from people who had seen the dog.
Harry was then recognised by a fellow regular beach user who knew Ms Maddison's number and passed it on to the Joneses, who then organised to meet late last week to hand over the camera.
"It really shows the community spirit of Albany people," Ms Maddison said.
"Harry should have his own Facebook page, he should be a celebrity."
