oi EDSON OL LE,

Photo submitted

MIATA MUSCLE... This Miata M-Speedster — a concept car from Mazda — will be one of over
450 new models on display at the 1996 Pacific International Auto and Light Truck Show at B.C.

Place from January 19-28. :

Sense

Shaun

signals

WITH THE holidays behind

. us we can reflect on the vis-
its with ofd friends from
afar, who shared some
Christmas cheer and got
robbed. That’s right,
robbed; busted into, ripped
off.

My friend Keith, a helicopter
pilot, came for a visit the other day.
He normally works up north in the
bush but when visiting friends and
family he pretty much lives out of
his Toyota 4X4 pick-up. He travels
light. Most of his clothes fit into

Road Gonditions 525-4997
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_ Blue Bus

AirCare
Hotline

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Ministry of
Highways

BCAA

885-7777

661-2100

660-9770
268-5650

433-5633

of insecurity

one pack sack; tools and utensils in
the back of his canopied track:
valuables sit up front in the passen-
ger’s seat; extreme valuables are
strung over his shoulder or left
secured in the homes of the afore-
mentioned friends and family.

Keith and [ taxied about town
the other evening to visit various
Christmas soirees. Back home at
the end of the evening Keith decid-
ed he should fetch some gear frorn
his truck, which he’d left parked
outside of my house the responsi-
ble way, before retiring.

To our dismay we discovered
that someone had broken inte his
truck — destroying the door-ieck
in the process and forcing entry in
to the back, which was also locked.

At this point we had to redefine
the term “valuables.” The spineless
thieves stole the knapsack contain-
ing all his clothes. Not exactly irre-
placeable items but certainly neces-
sities — the knapsack itself was
worth a few coins, too.

The wretched swine(s) stole
Keith’s car stereo amplifier (but not
his car stereo). The foul weasel(s)
even made off with his logbook —
an item useful only to the heli-
copter pilot who owns it.

What these heinous fool(s)
didn’t take were items secured
tightly or tucked away — Keith’s
Christmas presents included —
which led us to deduce that this
was a grab-and-dash type robbery.
Hundreds of dollars worth of
belongings that ray net the thieves

20 bucks ‘at a pawn shop, gone.

Senseless really — well, per-
haps not to a senseless thief.

Peace of mind can be consid-
ered “valuable.” Robbery is,
indeed, a violation of the mind as
well as the physical. More so for
Keith because he manages to live,
happily, with only the bare essen-
tials.

More so again because it was
the Christmas season. Goodwill
toward all and all that. An appar-
ently false sense of security was
pilfered.

Folks, your valuables are not
safe. Even locked in the trunk of a
car, your cherished goods, such as
Christrnas presents, are vulnerable
— especially if your trunk can be
untocked from the driver's com-
partment which is usually the first
place a thief probes.

It is infinitely wiser to carry
those things that are precious to
you on or about your person.

it's a sad state of affairs. It's the
nineties. Even Christmas is tainted
with fear and a bit more anxiety.

The true meaning of Christmas
has nothing to do with giving and
receiving coul presents; it shouldn't
have anything to do with the taking
away of things held dear, like peace
of mind or vacations from anxiety.

It shouldn't, but it does.

Hoping you all had a joyous one
just the same.

Didn’t mean to put a downer on
the holidays. Happy New Year.
Drive saie.

Our 37th Year

1.C.B.C. - B.C.A.A.

- AR.A.

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