🚀 go-pugleaf

http://reallifetoday.blogspot.com/

I've just returned from Perth.  I was on leave from work where I live here 
in the Pilbara.



On the way back from Perth I stopped over in Geraldton at a motel.  I 
checked in and unloaded my stuff from the car into my room and went for my 
tea at the dining room then went for a few drinks at the bar.  After that I 
headed back to the room.



Approaching the room I heard a ruckus in the distance across the road.  A 
group of young kids were running amok over at the small shopping center 
there.  They had some kind of steel pipe or a star picket and were making 
quite a noise banging at something with it.  There was more than one group 
of them as they were whistling to each other from a distance; normally a 
sign that they're up to no good even ignoring what they were up to with the 
steel implement.



I thought stuff it, I'll call the cops, sounded like they were trying to 
break in over there anyway.  I found the phone book in the motel room and 
dialed the number on my mobile phone.  I told the local cops what was going 
on there and they said they'd come round and have a look.  After hanging up 
I grabbed a beer from the fridge and went outside to wait.



There was a bloke looking over towards the shopping center a couple of rooms 
down from me.



"Looks like there's a few yobbos about tonight" I said.



"Yeah, looks like a few aboriginal kids" he said.  "Is that your car there?"



"Yeah."



"Well I had mine broken in to the other night around here, make sure you're 
locked up."



He told me he was the manager of the motel.  I said I'd called the cops 
already.



Anyway it wasn't long before we saw a police vehicle across the road.  The 
kids scarpered pretty quick.  There was more of them than I thought at 
first, and looking at them running away they were a lot younger than I 
expected too; they'd be flat out being ten years old for the most part I'd 
reckon.  The cops had a word with the manager who had walked over into the 
car park in a manner indicating it was a regular occurrence.  I pressed the 
button on my car key ring and watched my indicator lights flash to confirm 
the car was secured and went to bed.



The next morning I woke up and went for breakfast.  I came back and packed 
up and put my stuff in the boot of the car.  After locking the room I 
unlocked the driver's door and got in to see one of the storage compartments 
above the transmission lever opened and my fuel receipts strewn about.  I 
knew straight away I'd been done over and that those kids must have been at 
the motel before I saw them across the road the previous night.  I knew that 
my digital camera would have gone from the glove box and sure enough it was. 
Luckily all my CDs were still there, either they didn't think about that 
storage compartment or they were scared away by something before checking.



I was well pissed off.  I didn't mention it when checking out; they already 
know what goes on around there better than me, and it's not their fault.  I 
thought about going to the Geraldton police station but I thought it would 
be just as good to report it at Northampton.  Driving between Geraldton and 
Northampton I thought I may as well wait until arriving home and reporting 
it from there; at least I might have the serial number of the camera there 
somewhere.



I had previously planned on stopping over at Shark Bay and/or Denham on the 
way back to Wickham but I was that mad about the camera being stolen I drove 
all the way back home in one hit; about twelve hours.  I didn't have the 
serial number there as it turned out but I reported the theft to the 
Geraldton police anyway.  Of course I don't expect to get the camera back. 
The annoying thing is that the camera is useless without the software and 
you need to match the camera's serial number to the software it comes with, 
so they'll probably end up just throwing it through someone's window anyway.



Next day back at home I was in my local shopping center.  I saw the same 
brand of digital camera, the next model up, on special for about $160-. 
That is about $100- cheaper than what the old one cost, although that one 
was really free to me as it was a present from my employer for ten years 
service.  Anyway I bought one as well as a memory card for $70- or so and a 
couple of rechargeable NiMH batteries to replace what was in the stolen 
camera, so all up the little buggers cost me about $240-.  I haven't even 
gotten the camera out of its box yet!



Well I'm on leave again in February.  I've resolved to visit Onslow and then 
Shark Bay/Denham then, both for the first time.  I'll take my new camera but 
I'll remember to keep the car locked this time.



http://reallifetoday.blogspot.com/