Dear Noni

You certainly are full of surprises-thank God for that! I can't bear boring types who never change their routines. What a fascinating venture you are about to embark on. Sounds like you've got the ideal person to do it with-I am absolutely delighted for you, Noni, having received your invitation, I wrote to you on 22-3-00 but inadvertently sent it to the wrong box number and it was returned! Knowing you were leaving soon afterwards it was too late to catch you by mail and until I received your email address I was unable to contact you. ....

You may recall my telling you about how David has become involved with a friend met in Grafton some years ago. Mike Hatcher has discovered a huge sunken wreck in Indonesian waters, with the largest collection of porcelain ever found. Of 2,000 personnel aboard the massive junk, the "Tek Sing", more than 1,800 perished as she sank in 100ft.water after having struck a reef. in 1822. It 's an Asian Titanic story which should be big when it breaks. .........We are now deeply involved in what began as an adventure, but hopefully the cargo, which is nearly all now in Stuttgart, where the auction will be occurring mid-November, will eventually repay us with some to spare. Meanwhile, there have been many set-backs, with the political situation in Indonesia so erratic. Their navy ordered the crew of the huge barge plus the survey vessel to up-anchor and they were towed to Jakarta, where they still remain, virtually prisoners. We are hopeful they will soon be released, so that the salvage team can finish the job.

Much of the porcelain is for Asian household use but the pieces they discovered on their recent return to the dive site are much more valuable, having been privately owned treasures. The interesting part is that Mike Hatcher himself is a Barnardos boy and donated a considerable amount of the "Nanking Cargo" to them. This was written about in a book of the same name after he found a Dutch Eastindianman full of porcelain destined for the European market some years ago..Since then he has found a valuable cargo in Thai waters which was confiscated at gunpoint (another remarkable story in itself) ........ We see a lot of him when he drops in on his way .........

Mike & his sister aged 2 &1,were so neglected in the U.K. during the war that the authorities were called in and the two kids were institutionalized until Mike was sent to Australia at 13 to work on farms for various foster-parents. He has seen the tough side of life,but his charm is that his experiences have not embittered him or changed the down-to-earth person he is.If the German auction is successful, Mike will assuredly be generous to his favourite charity,Barnardos.

So we wish you luck with your venture and hope you raise lots for a very deserving cause. ....

Fondest Regards, ............