‘I knew I had gold’: Treasure hunter finds long-lost ring

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This article was published 23/05/2022 (1301 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Westman treasure hunter recently reunited a man with his high school graduation ring 17 years after he lost it.

Robin Burnett-Klyzub, founder of a Facebook group dedicated to metal detecting — Westman Treasure Hunters — said she found the ring while searching a shallow part of Lake Manitoba, near Dauphin.

The discovery came at the end the day in late September, after Burnett-Klyzub and others in her metal-detecting party had combed through the area thoroughly — or so they thought.

“We had all been over that area multiple times that day and it was fairly close to the shore,” she said.

“Just on my very last little attempt to hunt while shutting down the day and I got this signal and it was such a beautiful sound.”

Different metals give off different readings on the detector, she said.

“I knew I had gold.”

The ring was under approximately two feet of water and a foot of sand along the lake bed, she said. Burnett-Klyzub dug it out with a scoop specifically designed for sand digging.

The jewelry in question was a large, gold ring with “Mel Johnson School” etched into it, a school in Wabowden, north of Lake Winnipeg. The name Brad was also carved into it.

“It just offered such a perfect opportunity,” she said.

Burnett-Klyzub called the school and spoke to an administrator, who said there had only been three Bradleys to graduate from the school in the small northern community.

“She sent them a text message right away … within 30 minutes, he called me, so it was an immediate contact.”

Burnett-Klyzub returned the ring to Brad, who graduated in 2004, after talking to him on the phone and reunited him with the long-lost treasure. She said Brad told her he lost the ring shortly after graduation while playing in the water with family.

“It took him 17 years to earn the ring and 17 years to have it returned to him.”

It’s often difficult to reunite people with their lost jewelry as most don’t have such clear markers of who they belong to, she said.

The Sun attempted to contact Brad, but didn’t receive a response by press time.

“It puts you on like Cloud 9. These opportunities are very rare. When we find a piece of jewelry, we’re really hoping to find some sort of an insignia inside the band or something. Those are the opportunities we get.”

The depth at which items are buried varies, she said. The freeze-thaw cycle every year allows items to shift in the dirt or sand, bringing them closer to or pushing them farther from the surface.

While metal detecting is a growing hobby in the region, Burnett-Klyzub said there are important considerations for people who want to pick it up for themselves.

Treasure hunters shouldn’t leave holes in the ground after digging something up and shouldn’t leave a mess. It’s also important to do the least amount of damage possible and to pick up any garbage you come across.

» dmay@brandonsun.com

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