After his 400-pound custom-made dining table disappeared en route from Corner Brook, N.L. to Fort McMurray, Alta., Ralph Falle wondered if he’d ever get it home.
Falle and his family lost everything when their home in Abasand was destroyed in the May 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire.
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As they prepared to rebuild, they wanted to include special personal touches. That’s when family in Newfoundland offered to make a special table, with wood from Falle’s grandfather’s juniper trees in St. George’s, N.L.
Falle’s father cut down the trees and his cousin sized them up, put it all together and stained it.
Then they hired a company called Midland Transport to take it across the country.
But somewhere along the way, the table got lost. On Monday, Falle was heartbroken about his prized piece of furniture, which hadn’t arrived more than two weeks after its scheduled delivery date.
READ MORE: 400-pound family treasure goes missing en route from Newfoundland to Fort McMurray
“To lose something that’s four feet wide by eight feet long and 400 pounds, it just blows my mind — how that can happen this day and age?”
On Tuesday, Midland Transport sent Global News this statement via email:
“The table was safely delivered by Midland to CCT in Ontario who carried it west. As of this writing we regret that every effort to locate the table has not yet been successful. Our investigation and search continues. We appreciate the sentimental value of this table and how upsetting its loss must be to Mr. Falle. We are committed to and are focused on doing right by Mr. Falle… Midland will refund the shipping costs paid by Mr. Falle — and replace the table if the original is not found.”
WATCH: When a family’s home was destroyed in the Fort McMurray wildfire nearly two years ago, a family in Newfoundland made them something special for their new home. But as Sarah Kraus explains, the 180-kilogram package shipped out from the East Coast never made it to its destination. (Aired April 3)
Less than 48 hours after Global News shared Falle’s story, he received a phone call from CCT telling him the table had been found 1,100 kilometres away in Regina, Sask. He thinks media coverage helped recover it.
“It was amazing,” Falle said. ”
Absolutely amazing. We’re ecstatic that they found it. From the word that we were getting last week, there wasn’t much hope that they were going to find it. But it’s amazing. And we’re super excited to see it.”
Falle was told the table should be in Fort McMurray on Friday. He says CCT called and offered him a heartfelt apology, saying human error was to blame. CCT did not return Global’s requests for comment.
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On Sunday, the Falle family plans to have a celebratory dinner at their new table with family and friends.
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