A New Zealand man is looking for help to get an envelope to the right person that was sent from a woman in Ely but delivered to him by mistake.
The green envelope contains what looks like a greetings card and a mini booklet and has travelled 11,723 miles from Forehill to Christchurch in New Zealand - but the address does not exist so it is now with the wrong person.
Jerry Larason contacted our offices asking for help tracking down the woman so he can get the envelope and its contents to who he thinks must her family member.
The writing looks like that of an older person and is addressed to 1356 Strickland Street, Christchurch. His property is 135b.
The postal service has delivered it to him assuming it must be the correct home as there is no such address as 1356, he said.
“I tried web based phone listings and Facebook at both ends, went up and down Strickland Street, even tried Google and Google maps,” he said.
“I got to virtually walk up and down Forehill in Ely and straight to her front door, but that was it. In a shop window I saw your Ely Standard sign so thought you would be able to help.
“This is a case of an ex-pat Yankee living in Kiwi-land, trying to help a Brit with the help of another Brit – all strangers.
“Doesn’t get much more international than that. Yet it’s still just people helping people.
“Don’t forget it’s also a case of all the technology in the world at our disposal wasn’t able to do it. It still took the good old local news paper to get it done. Let’s hope we can find her and get the envelope to its rightful owner.”
The green envelope is addressed to Stuart Anderson and has a sticker on the back with a mini Royal Navy symbol that shows it was sent by a woman called Mrs R Anderson of 45 Forehill, Ely.
“The letter is postmarked May 23 and arrived about a month ago. In random spare moments I have been trying to get this to its rightful recipient ever since,” he said. “I could have just given it back to the postman, but NZ Post would have likely just sent it back to the UK.”
• Can you help? Email kath.sansom@archant.co.uk,
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