Calgary man appeals for return of rare items stolen in auto shop break-ins

There was an emotional appeal Tuesday from a Calgary man hoping for the return of some priceless pieces of his past.

This comes after Don Zawasky was hit by two recent break-ins at the automotive restoration shop where he’s worked his magic for almost half a century.

The break-ins at Donz Wheels of Time Restoration in northeast Calgary happened within two days of each other over Canada Day long weekend.

“They knocked this off,” Zawasky said, pointing to a large industrial fan mounted in the wall, “and came through there. And the second time they kicked the wall in.”

Hundreds of items were taken in the two break-ins.

“$5,000 worth of Hot Wheels stolen, and my photo albums,” Zawasky said. “They stole all the pictures of the work that I did on all these cars.”

Since opening his business in 1973,  Zawasky has restored hundreds of vehicles, among them one ridden in by royalty.

“The Queen Mum, in a 1948 Daimler,” Zawasky said. “A museum in Victoria sent me the car — I worked on it in the early ’90s.”

Along with the photos of Zawasky’s work and collectibles like the Hot Wheels miniature cars, dozens of tools were also taken during the break-ins.

“They took all the air tools and the grinders, and they took some hammers,” Zawasky said, estimating the total value of all the stolen items to be “at least $10,000.”

Zawasky says his tools were too old to be insured and that he’s sad that there’s so much gone that can’t be replaced.

“My personal history means a lot to me and my family, my grandchildren,” Zawasky said.

Zawasky is appealing to whoever broke into his shop.

“You can have my Hot Wheels, but my tools and my photo albums, are you just going to throw them in the garbage?” Zawasky said. “Because they’re not worth anything to anyone but me, so I would appreciate if somebody would drop them off in a box. Please bring my tools back, so I can finish my hobby that’s my job.”