Jar of ashes found on WA beach believed to be of Royal Navy chief petty officer

Local resident Katie Robinson was walking her dog along Seascapes Beach on Thursday afternoon when she made the discovery. 

The ashes were sealed with silicon in a medical test container, which was then attached to the bottom of a glass jar – also sealed with silicon.

The jar also contained a solar light and a note describing its contents. 

It read: “Remains of chief petty officer Ken Padgett, Royal Navy. Lived in Auchmithie, Scotland”.

Read more: 

The note included birth and death details of the petty officer, who passed away in August 2010, at 78 years old. 

It also requested that if found, the jar be returned to the ocean. 

Ms Robinson said she was going to follow the letter’s instructions and throw the jar back into the ocean when the tides were right. 

“I actually scattered my sister's ashes here at this beach, because it was one of her favourite spots,” she said.  

“I'm actually disappointed that I didn't come up with this idea for some of her remains.

“I think it's a brilliant idea for someone who likes the water – and being in the navy all his life obviously he did.

“It's a great way to honour someone's memory. 

“I will respect the family and will throw it back into the water and hopefully it will carry it away to some other adventure and some other person will find it and enjoy the pleasure like I did.”