If you answered Bryan Whitecross of Wendouree, you’d be correct.

Mr Whitecross found several  copies of the February 13, 1935 edition of The Courier under the lino of a friend’s newly bought Dawson Street miner’s cottage about 10 days ago.

So he convinced two friends he knew were crossword puzzle fans to fill it out and attached the requisite sixpence – also found under the lino – to the form with sticky tape.

He then put it in a modern envelope, addressed it to The Courier’s former Sturt Street address, before crossing it out and replacing it with “Try Creswick Rd”.

Mr Whitecross then put it in The Courier’s competition entry box where it was found by The Courier’s marketing manager Serena Eldridge, who puzzled over it for some time.

“I knew we didn’t have a crossword competition going so I thought it was a bit bizarre,” Ms Eldridge said.

Mr Whitecross said he decided to see if he could still enter a competition that closed on Saturday, February 16, just 78 years later. 

“I thought it would be a bit of fun for you people here,” Mr Whitecross said.

For the record, Mr Whitecross did walk away with a prize for all his efforts, a double movie pass.