The deluge that damaged the historic Lone Pine late last year washed up a treasure hidden for more than a decade.
While attention was on the bough of the Lone Pine laid low by the storms, the run-off exposed a set of Vietnam medals buried nearby.
Lee Taylor was holidaying with friends in Canberra early this year. The 22-year-old IT worker from Melbourne and his friends were walking from the Australian War Memorial when he spotted what they thought were toys from the gift shop lying in a pile of leaves by the side of the road.
Mr Taylor said, ''I initially thought they might have been fake, the gift shop might sell little replicas like that for kids to play with.'' He quickly realised they were far too heavy to be fakes, and turned them over to the memorial.
The memorial enlisted the help of the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify and track down the family.
The medals belonged to the late Keith Roberts, of Melbourne.
For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times
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