I’ve been violated
I’ve been violated. Not personally, not bodily, but deeply personal possessions have been stolen.
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On Monday morning as I was waiting for a a flight to Newcastle to go “wheels up” I checked my personal e-mail and noted a subject line that read “Facility break-in”. My heart sank. I quickly read the e-mail which explained that the storage unit I rent had been broken into. It wasn’t clear if anything was taken and I needed to contact the site manager.
I was flying interstate and would be away for a night so I had to wait and stew and ponder.
Why do I need to rent a storage unit?
When I left Darwin and settled in Canberra, I had to fit a house worth of stuff into a rented one bedroom flat. That was never going to work. I have been renting a storage unit ever since I’ve lived in Canberra.
What was taken?
I won’t go into details of what was stolen. Basically valuables and irreplaceable objects with deep and personal meaning to me. These objects cannot be replaced and some of them have been associated with events that define me as a person. I can’t imagine how the thieves will use these items.
I assume these stolen goods will be sold or simply dumped or destroyed if no buyer can be found. On one item, identifying markings engraved into the object will have to be scratched off. On another, whoever buys the item and tries to convince others it belongs to her or him, will in my mind be as low as the thief who stole it. Whoever buys it may not be a thief, but that person will be a fraud, a deceiver, someone who no one should trust. They will try to pass them-self off as someone who they are not. That is low in my opinion.
How have I reacted?
The biggest surprise to me isn’t the theft but my reaction. I am annoyed but not angry. People steal things. Their actions reflect on them not me. I just want my stuff back. I’m realistic though. The one very valuable item in terms of what I paid for it is unlikely to find a buyer. It’s a specialist piece of equipment. I expect once the padlocks have been cut off the outer container the thief won’t have a clue how to sell it. I bet it finds its way into Lake Burley Griffin. If I can get the really personal item back I’d be happy, but realistically, I can’t see that happening. This is the item I lose sleep over. There’s one more piece which I reckon would be easy to find a buyer and to sell. This piece has sentimental value and some monetary value, but if I never see it again, I won’t lose sleep over it.
I do feel violated though. I wasn’t physically assaulted. The place I live wasn’t entered. However, deeply precious things were stolen. I feel violated. A part of my identity has been taken and I can’t get it back. That’s a violation.
Good news
I’m grateful one really important item wasn’t touched. Oddly enough, it’s something that can be replaced, but its value lies in it being associated with a promise I made to myself should something happen in the future. It would form part of a gift that would hold great significance for me and hopefully to the person who receives it.
Photographs were also left behind. Most of the photographs are from my time in Darwin. Many relate to family, some relate to work, and some relate to other photographical interests I have. I know the thief or thieves went through some of them. They would have got a shock when they opened the envelopes and saw some of the photographs. I bet their eyes popped.
It’s happy holiday season
Christmas is nearly upon us. Growing up in Australia, this time of year is mainly about Christmas and New Year. Unlike American friends who are exposed to religions other than Christianity and Roman Catholicism, I have very little knowledge of Jewish traditions as well as other December/January religious celebrations. As an avid Seinfeld watcher in the day, I’m aware of Festivus and with atheist friends I’ve been told about the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
As a younger person, I might have staunchly held to “Merry Christmas” being the thing to say in Australia, but as I grow older and as my network of friends across the globe increases as a result of social media, “Happy Holidays” seems to make more sense.
What I’m grateful for most as an Australian, is an enterprise agreement which ‘entitles’ me to be off work from Christmas day until New Year’s day. This year, I have on-call duties during this so-called ‘shut-down’ period, but unless something bad happens I don’t have to physically attend work. Australia really is a wonderful place to live. I know many friends who live in other countries are envious of our Australian workplace laws.
I have a big announcement
This will lose me some friends I know.
With the recent move of my favourite National Rugby League coach, viz., Mr Wayne Bennett, Souths is no longer my 16th favourite NRL team. Souths have moved up to equal 11th and shares a spot with Canberra, Penrith, Easts, Canterbury, and Cronulla.
The new order is:
- Brisbane Broncos
- North Queensland Cowboys
- Gold Coast Titans
- Melbourne Storm
- Parramatta Eels
- Newcastle Knights
- Manly
- Wests
- Illawarra
- New Zealand
- South Sydney, Canberra, Penrith, East Sydney, Canterbury, and Cronulla
Let me try to explain
I know I frustrate some friends with my insistence that I can support more than one footy team. I know my choices are an annoyance to friends who think because I reside (exist) in Canberra, I should support the local team.
I’m a Queenslander first and foremost. If Queensland decided to secede from the federation, I would strongly consider returning to Brisbane and living in Queensland. This is why my top three teams are based in Queensland. If I grew up in North Queensland, the number one spot would be the North Queensland Cowboys with the Brisbane Broncos occupying the number two spot.
Some people have commented that I’ve not used the ‘popular’ names for some of the teams. If the club is an amalgamated club which resulted after the New South Wales Rugby League competition transformed after the Super League experiment into the National Rugby League then I’ll use the name I prefer. Like Wests rather than Balmain or Illawarra rather than St George.
Yes, I’m parochial when I comes to sports that matter to me and the sovereign state of Queensland. I know this reflects badly on me as a human being. I don’t really care.
What have I watched this week?
I watched Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. I enjoyed season one on Amazon Prime Video. I’d recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed movies like “The Hunt for Red October”.
What have I listened to this week?
While I haven’t returned to listening to AM radio, I did listen a bit to FM radio, specifically, ABC News radio to listen to the last sitting week of the Australian Parliament.
Apart from listening to parliament, I’ve listened to my usual podcasts about tech, photography, trivia, blogging, and life.
What have I eaten this week?
This is a gallery of photographs. Click on one image and scroll through the rest of them.
Saturday lunch sushi pack, Westfield Belconnen food court 
Friday dinner. Macca’s McRib and chips 
Friday lunch. Hot chips and gravy. Canberra Hospital and Health Services tuckshop. 
Coffee and a Neenish tart, Canberra Hospital and Health Services 
Coffee and work, Canberra Hospital and Health Services 
Thursday dinner. Cheesy baked pork chop, mashed potatoes, and avocado. The pork chop was baked for 20 minutes at 200 °C/400 °F. 
Lamb pide for a workplace Christmas party 
White chocolate and mango muffin 
Work and coffee 
Wednesday dinner. Pork chop with mango and avocado salad. Oven baked pork with fresh mango and avocado served with a fennel and daikon radish salad. 
Pressure cooker barbecue chicken leg. 
Tuesday dinner. Baked salmon with balsamic glaze and mashed potatoes 
Vegemite and cheese scroll with bacon, lettuce, and tomato 
Ginger biscuits on Rex flying back from Newcastle 
Croque Madame at Mercure Newcastle Airport 
Microwave radiation pressure cooker Barbecue Hoisin Pork belly and instant Thai coconut chicken noodles. Fifteen minutes of steam under pressure with chicken stock and tomatoes. Then mixed with barbecue and hoisin sauces and cooked for 15 minutes at 200 °C/400 °F. Served with instant Thai coconut chicken noodles.
Yummy Lummy this week
I will be posting a recipe for my blogging friend Mabel. If you wait until later tonight (AEDT) or tomorrow, the likely short URL will be https://yummylummy.com/20181208
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Final thoughts
Have you been the victim of theft? If you’ve had valuable property stolen, how did it make you feel?
Is your state more important than your country to you? Does it matter? Do you care?
Do you prefer “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”? Do you have something else you prefer to say?
What’s weird is that I found that when we were burgled, where I was in my life determined how much I gave a damn. eg I was told the UK house was burgled when I was living in the US. I asked if everyone was okay and once they were I don’t even recall asking about my things.
We have been burgled 3 times since! (All not to do with MY lack of security I hasten to add). The last 3 whilst I was upstairs sleeping. I totally get the violated feeling although I was lucky not to feel it. I didn’t lose anything deeply sentimental. I’m a weird fish anyway and I do not like people giving me things generally, let alone ones of value because I don’t want to have value put on tangible items because of a sentimental attachment. Dunno if that makes sense.
Anyway I’m angry for you and hope you get your stuff back. I have always thought that ONE of the punishments that should be metered out to thieves is to allow the victim and other random people to rifle through their homes and take or smash whatever they choose. See how they like it.
Thanks my friend. I don’t expect my stuff to be recovered given the nature of the items. That said, what this experience has taught me and what I’m putting into practice is a move to minimalism. I’ve started throwing things away. The aim is to not have possessions to worry about and to focus on life, fun, and living.
I just hope the people who stole my things used the money the got for them to buy food to feed themselves and not drugs.
You hit it on the head. I was going to use the word ‘minimalist’ but it slipped from my mind as I was eyeing up another post about PETA as I was writing lol. I’m a resolute minimalist. I find it keeps the mind clear. It does not help with my memory though!
The more I’ve thought about what has happened, the more I realise I need for little. Apart from some technology to keep doing this blogging thing, my other needs should only be about shelter and clothing. I have no or little style when it comes to fashion so that’s easy. So long as I have a bed to sleep in and kitchen to cook in, I’m basically happy.
With retirement in view, I really need to focus on enjoying living with very little and spending more time smiling and laughing.
Amen twice to that sir! And same here with the tech. I’d be miffed if they stole that because it is much used.
I suspect most people would hate my version of a dream home as it would be monastery bare! 😀
Awful news Gary. Especially that items that are so special and meaningful to you have been stolen. It definitely is a dreadful feeling. I do hope you get some things if not all, back. But I guess reality strikes and the people (filth) who stole will throw away if they can’t sell.
Thank you very much Sue.
The nature of the items is such that I don’t hold out a lot of hope.
I’m waiting to hear back from ACT Police on the matter so I can try to address one matter.
Sorry to learn of your loss to lowlife scumbags. I do hope some justice or Karma evens the score a bit. I’ve been robbed a few times and I can’t say it’s easy to get over. I just know that if something of mine can be lifted, it will be. The thieves are many and never take a holiday.
Thanks Dan. I think the kindest thing I can hope is that if they sell my stuff, I hope it goes to nutritious food to feed hungry mouths and not to drugs.
I would also hope some greater cause could be served. We never know how our losses will teach us but they inevitably do.
Very true Dan. Loss is often a good teacher.
I think more so when that loss is from things dear to us. I will hope for you a positive outcome.
Thank you very much Dan. It’s inspired me to clean up the storage unit. I had not been there for some years. It’s an opportunity to clean it up and get rid of some things I no longer need and will never use again.
Great idea Gary. I should leave my front door open in hopes someone will relieve me of a few decades of accumulation. I’ll even leave boxes, tape, and a hand truck for them.
Haha, I was hoping an old lawn mower, broken wheel barrow, and broken clothes dryer would be taken, but no, all that was left for me 😂
You know it’s a sad thing when thieves are so picky about what they will take. Next they will want to return anything they found broken and not bringing top dollar for their measly effort.
Or, take legal action if something stolen doesn’t work properly or causes them some sort of grief.
LOL! That is very true of my fellow litigious countrymen. They win a lot of lawsuits by suing negligent victims.
Australia never used to be like this. I miss the days when you could take a bloke out the back of a shed, belt the living daylights out of him and then everything would be square. Even thinking like that can get me in trouble now.
It’s the same here. Being a citizen with moderate conservative views and law abiding means I can be sued on principle of being a crime against humanity.
The legal practitioners are the big winners in our society these days. When we live in a world when we can be subject to legal action for being the victim of a crime, you know the world has gone arse up.
I think at the moment the Down Under is Up Over and we Yankee Doodles are definitely arse up and have a very sphinctoral view of life. It will change hopefully when enough of us get tired of it.
The only animal that needs a sphincter’s view of the world is a pouch-bound wombat. The pouch faces posterior so the first thing the joey sees every day is his Mum’s arse as she’s face down arse up digging a hole in the dirt.
Ha ha ha! What a life those toddler wombats have. Peek- duck the flying stuff- coast is clear.
They get to see cuboidal faeces dropping out too. Yes, it’s true, wombats produce cuboidal faeces.
Cuboidal faeces? Now that is a trick I never knew about. I suppose that makes life easier for the folks studying wombat life. No mistaking the ocassional Drop Bear for a Wombat during the hunt.
It makes it easier to stack and create a wall of faeces. Sadly wombats aren’t smart enough to understand the importance of interlocking brickwork and the benefits of mortar.
Waaa haaa haaaa! I wonder if the tireless Dung Beetle can make use of stackable poo. 😆
So sorry to hear that your stuff got stolen ☹ Horrible and you have every right to feel violated and someone intruded on your personal life without permission. Really do hope you get your stuff back. Life is strange and who knows. I’ve had my house broken into many years ago. The expensive brandy and whiskey were taken.
Why not support more than one sport team, nothing against that. Sport teams and their values change over time. For me I’ve always supported Liverpool FC and been a supporter for about 20 years. Currently we are doing well as a team with consistent results ⚽
Thanks Mabel. I hope I get the one really important item back.
Have you ever written a post on supporting sporting teams from an Asian Australian perspective? I’d love to learn more of your love of the Liverpool FC 😃
You never know. You might just get those items back.
That is a great topic for one day, Gaz. Thank you so much. I’ve always liked how Liverpool plays and how they aren’t afraid to shoulder the blame when they are down. Hoping we win the EPL one day 😃😃
I look forward to reading the story of your support for the Liverpool FC and your interest in the EPL.
I just wanted to say I like your NRL ranking thing. Being from Melbourne I still don’t actually understand NRL at all, but I like the idea of supporting multiple teams. In the Big Bash cricket I don’t really support any team, and have a soft spot for most of them, even the Sydney teams!
Thanks Tim. Having a few teams to support reduces disappointment through the season. At least every round there is reason for some happiness 😂
I’m so sorry to hear about the break in to your storage unit and the loss of your treasured belongings. I hope you get some of them back at least.
I had a break-in some years ago, while I was upstairs sleeping. The police said it was probably an addict looking for a quick score. They got my purse and its contents … all my govt ID (passport, Canadian citizenship papers,SIN card, driver’s license, etc) which took me time and money to replace. I was lucky that was all that was taken. It took a while to feel safe again.
Thanks very much. Your experience sounds awful. I hope your identity was preserved and you weren’t subject to identity theft. I know there were other items in the storage unit which could have had some serious ramifications. The thought of my home being entered chills me to the bone.
There was no indication in the aftermath that that happened. About 3-4 mos later, some of the cards showed up. Nothing that I hadn’t replaced and nothing that I could use. I am suspicious about the person who returned the items as nothing that was returned to me had my address/phone number on it so how did they know how to contact me? I wondered what the point was. I didn’t offer nor did they ask for a reward as what was returned was of no value to me. It was all rather strange.
It is strange. In this day and age, small pieces of information from a variety of sources can be put together to form a profile. I probably worry too much about this sort of thing.
It’s all very frightening to be honest. You hear about these identity theft horror stories that ruin people’s lives. I hope the consequences aren’t as dire as you fear.
Thanks. Likewise. Mind you, it would be funny to come up against someone who was pretending to be me 😂
I’m so sorry that you’ve had to go through this sort of thing. Have you tried Gumtree or Facebook Market Place for your items. Clueless thieves often post items in these places. I hope they turn up and you can get them back. 💗
Thanks Angie. I’m looking. I hope to get my stuff back.