Telstra time capsule photo
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A nationwide search is under way for a group of schoolchildren who buried a time capsule back in 1985.

It’s been 40 years since the kids won a national competition to help Telstra, then known as Telecom, celebrate its 10th anniversary by burying items in a time capsule in Adelaide, South Australia.

All the participants were aged 10 at the time they put items in the capsule and are now hopefully approaching their milestone 50th birthdays. 

Telstra time capsule photo
The group of 10 schoolchildren buried a time capsule in 1985. (Supplied)

The telco giant is hoping the nearly 50-year-olds can reunite after 40 years to dust off the capsule and sift through a piece of Australian history.

So far, Telstra has only been able to track down one member of the group.

Telstra regional general manager Michael Patterson told 9news.com.au he wants the people of Australia to help the company find the other nine children.

“People move around all over the place, so we’re on the hunt to find these time capsule kids,” Patterson said. 

“These are young people from different schools across Adelaide, so they may not have ever come back into contact with each other.”

10 April, 2007 - PIC: JACK ATLEY/ BLOOMBERG NEWS - STORY: Telsra in rural areas - PIC SHOWS: A Telstra pay telephone is seen in the rural area of Scone, in northern New South Wales, Australia on April 10, 2007.  Photographer: Jack Atley/Bloomberg News
The telco giant is hoping the nearly 50-year-olds can reunite after 40 years. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Patterson said Telstra has no idea what is locked inside the time capsule.

Though he hopes it might be a fascinating dive into ’80s technology and pop culture.

“In that era, they had the landline, they were using payphones… it wasn’t until two years later that the first mobile handset came out,” he said.

“We’ve since had the invention of social media, we’ve got artificial intelligence.

“The technology’s just evolving constantly.”

Telstra plans to crack open the time capsule on July 1 this year.

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