The tarnished medal, miniature, clasp and ribbons were found in a badly damaged box on the side of a road by a man who dashed into the sub-branch’s office last week and handed over the find but left without saying where he discovered them.

“He raced in and said he found this by the road a fair while ago and left before I could get any more information,” said sub-branch secretary, Ken May.

The medal was awarded to a J Spark for peace-keeping service in the Solomon Islands sometime after 1975.

“The medal and miniature were in pretty poor condition,” Mr May said.

“They looked like they had been out in the weather for quite some time.

“The condition of the box makes us think it has ‘bounced’ around.

“One of the theories we have is it might have bounced out of a trailer while someone was moving house, and another is it might have been left on the roof of a car that has driven off.”

Mr May has made extensive but unsuccessful inquiries to try to locate the medal’s owner.

He has contacted the Australian Defence Force records section and the honours and awards department of the Department of Defence in Canberra.

And there is no record of a J Spark being a member of the Returned and Services League (RSL) in NSW.

The medal carries an unusual service number beginning with an S.

“It’s very important to give it back to the person who owns it,” Mr May said.

“They earned it doing something for the people of the Solomon Islands and in the service of their country.”

Anyone who can identify the owner can telephone the sub-branch on 69213528 or send an email to rslwagga@bigpond.net.au.