Two friends are beating the summer heat by using their metal detecting hobby to locate lost treasures and reunite them with their grateful owners.
For years, Gary Bonin, of Westerly, Rhode Island, and Wayne Aguiar, of Old Saybrook, Connecticut, have been avid metal detecting enthusiasts. Bonin keeps five separate devices just in his car, in case anyone else wants to get in on the action. They’ve supplemented their hobby with a good-hearted pastime: when they have time, the old pals hit the beaches of southern New England in search of beloved items that beachgoers have left in the sand.
The duo has traveled through Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts performing their good deeds. Over the years, they’ve reunited over 150 pieces of jewelry with the original owners, from wedding bands to expensive diamond rings and smaller earrings.
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Though many have encouraged Bonin and Aguiar to monetize their hobby, both men agree that helping those in need is far more valuable than making money. “The intention is to try to find things to return them to people,” Aguiar explained, adding that he and Bonin want to buck against the “finders keepers” mentality of metal detecting.
Occasionally, someone will approach Bonin and Aguiar with a retrieval request. But more often than not, the two men make a discovery without having a recipient attached. In that case, they post photos of the item to social media until they locate the original owner. “You can’t put into words that feeling,” Bonin said. “That’s priceless.”
