They’re leaving Vancouver with empty pockets, but full hearts.
Molly Tame and her boyfriend Bradley Hawkins, visiting from New Zealand, are set to fly out of Vancouver on Saturday, nearly a week later than they had hoped.
And they’re doing it with little more than the clothes on their back, after someone stole their car along with everything they own: clothing, computers and camera gear worth between $12,000 and $15,000.
But despite the misfortune, the 22-year-old couple has managed to keep in good spirits — due largely to the kindness of strangers.
The couple arrived in B.C. before Christmas, and spent the season working at Mount Seymour before setting off on a trip to explore B.C. and Alberta.
They were living in their car, an old Chevy Malibu with the rear seats removed, which they had arranged to donate to some other travellers, along with all of their camping gear. They were scheduled to fly out last Sunday, and had parked the car in a parkade on Denman Street in Vancouver while they rented bikes for one final farewell tour of Stanley Park.
When they got back the car was gone.
“We initially thought it had been towed, even then I freaked out, I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh no, we’re going to have to pay to get our car back, this is going to be a nightmare,” Tame, who is originally from Australia, told Global News.
“And then later we learned it was a lot, lot worse.”
The pair had purchased third-party insurance that didn’t cover theft from the vehicle. All they had left were the clothes on their back and their mobile phones.
But that’s where things took a turn for the brighter: people began to step in and offer help.
One woman on Vancouver Island who saw their plight on Facebook offered to take them in for a few days, said Tame, and even gave them some of her sons’ clothing — and more.
“We didn’t even own underwear.”
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Her former boss from Mt. Seymour also took them in for a few nights, and on Friday night a family they had met when they first arrived also offered a place to stay.
But it wasn’t just accommodation. A complete stranger left them a $100 bill at the administration office of the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Then the bridge staff let them in to check out the sights for free.
She said they also got a flood of help from people offering to look for their belongings, or even just messaging them to offer support.
“It’s been amazing. Some lady started up a GoFundMe page for us. And the amount of clothing we’ve received to help us has been crazy,” she said.
“It’s overwhelming, and it’s comforting to know that there’s so many good people out there looking out for us.”
Another couple lent the pair a car this week to help them get their affairs in order, including arranging for emergency passports which they’ve now collected.
Tame said so far the police haven’t turned up any sign of the car or their belongings, but they’re staying hopeful. The Vancouver Police Department confirmed it is investigating.
On the bright side, she said she had already uploaded nearly all of their travel photos to the web.
While the experience has proved to be a costly one, she said it’s one that’s permanently changed their outlook for the better.
“It will definitely make me reach out to someone else in the future when they are in need much more than I would have prior,” Tame said.
“Before this, I probably would have watched on the news and really felt for them, but I wouldn’t think to actually do something, and this has completely changed the way that we will look at other people.”
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