by Vikki Skytte

He calls it the "thinking man's frisbee."

John Cryderman wants more people to discover the fun and fascination of a centuries-old hobby - boomerang throwing.

The Chatham, Ontario woodworker was in Abbotsford this week to promote the activity, and the skill that goes into Grafting the hooked wonders. "It's a magic stick that comes back. Everyone seems to have a curiosity factor about it," he said.

Cryderman has spent more than 15 years making boomerangs and researching their history. He has discovered there's more to them than their tendency, like an annoying friend, to keep coming back. For starters, boomerangs have a ancient history. The earliest recorded boomerang-like stick was found 23.000 years ago in the area that is now Poland.

Twenty-eight elaborately carved and decorated versions were found in the tomb of Kin" Tutankhamen, in his day, they were traded among pharoahs. And, contrary to popular belief, boomerangs were not used to hunt wild animals, but were used to hone hunting skills.

But it's not only their history that intrigues Cryderman; he's fascinated by the principles that give the bent objects their return-to-sender abilities.

He has submitted two items for possible inclusion in the Gumess Book of World Records: The Canadian distance record of 160 yards, and the largest returnable boomerang, which measures five feet from tip to tip.

But his greatest coup to date was producing two ornate boomerangs and a storage case for Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

Prince Charles phoned Cryderman to thank him for the gift and invited him for a visit. Cryderman still plans to take him up on the offer. " If you can throw a baseball or eat a bow 1 of jello with a spoon, you can throw one of these", he said.