As a new resident to Oliver, waking up to find that my motorcycle had been stolen overnight within the first two weeks of living here wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
The motorcycle – a classic BMW R80/7 in blue – was part of my father’s estate, and I had put thousands of dollars and hours into restoring it over the last few years. Of all my possessions, this one meant the most to me by far. It has no real monetary value, but immense sentimental value, and it was alarming to think that such a brazen theft would happen in such a small community.
I reported it to the RCMP immediately, and tried to spread the word as much as I could. I engaged numerous local and motorcycle-related Facebook groups, and put up posters all around town. All told, this has helped spread word far and wide – from Prince George to Nova Scotia to Texas, last I checked – which I figure is the most powerful tool in trying to recover it.
When talking to people locally, many had a similar reaction – “not a very warm welcome to Oliver, is it?”
Perhaps not, but my thinking is more this: theft happens everywhere, but what doesn’t happen everywhere is the incredible response from the community. The post on the Oliver Loop garnered hundreds of shares; people whom I’ve never met have stopped me in the street to ask if I’d found it yet; business owners and shops were all too happy to let me put up posters in their establishments; dirt bike and dual sport riders contacted me personally to let me know they’d keep an eye out for it in their travels.
It only takes one bad person to steal something, but it takes a town full of good people to respond the way the town of Oliver did. The way I see it, that’s a pretty warm welcome after all.
Ryan Mahler
Oliver
