Scot finds love in New Zealand thanks to poster

A SCOTS backpacker has become a celebrity in New Zealand after leaving a romantic sign for a man she spotted running on a beach.

By STUART MacDONALD Tuesday, 3rd March 2015, 12:21 pm

Sarah's poster, left, and the pair pictured after meeting. Pictures: Facebook

The woman, named only as Sarah, caught the eye of William Scott Chalmers as he ran topless with his labradoodle dog in Picton.

She decided to leave a sign at the seafront, with a drawing of William, in the hope that he would see it and agree to a date with her.

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Part of it read: ‘Is this you? I was sitting on the grass on Friday watching the sea, you were playing with your dog.

‘On the off chance you are single, remember who I am and would like to meet for a drink/coffee/walk, I’ll be sitting on the grass watching the sea from 1 to 1.30pm onwards on Tuesday…Maybe you’ll run past again!?!’

Sarah warded off those considering to bin the poster by adding on the back: ‘In the spirit of happy endings, give this sign a chance to be seen by the right eyes!

‘It may even bring a dozen or so people back on Tuesday, intrigued... who is this girl with the long brown hair and the boy with the star tattoos and the dog and will they meet for a drink?’

The sign caused a sensation among locals in the town and a search was launched to find the mystery man who turned out to be cafe worker William.

Television crews were on hand to film the couple’s first meeting today when William returned to the beach for the romantic rendezvous

and asked Sarah to go for a drink with him.

William, who brought a bottle of champagne with him, walked over to where Sarah was sitting and said: “Hello, I’m William, you know you could have just asked for my number.

“Lets go somewhere and have a drink away from everyone,” he told her, as the crowd watching their date clapped and cheered.

Sarah, who is spending three months travelling round New Zealand, was met at the picturesque meeting spot with great fanfare, greeted as she stepped off her ferry to a sign that said: “Here’s to a happy ending.”

She has been left embarrassed by the reaction to her romantic plea and has refused to give her full name to television interviewers in New Zealand.

She said: “I hate cameras and being the centre of attention.

“People don’t act on things often so it was just me acting on something.”

William, who works at a local burger bar, said that he first heard of the poster when his housemate came home at 3am and woke him up.

He said: “He was carrying on and telling me about a poster that two German girls had told him about that described me.

“He knew it was me because I’m the only guy in Picton who has star tattoos, Johnny-Bravo hair and a labradoodle.

“It’s a bit overwhelming, I’ve never had something like this happen before. In high school if you passed a note the teacher would just take it off you.

“I’m not sure if the poor girl knows what she’s gotten herself into. It’s just gotten so big.”

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