I’m going to be honest with you. This isn’t really a good news story. Yet.
I mean it has the potential to be a story with a good ending but I’m going to need your help to make it happen.
Duncan financial planner Fijay Manhas gave me a call in late August and…OK, well I have no suitable excuse, but I didn’t get to his message for close to a month. Oops.
After I stopped apologizing profusely for taking an unprofessional amount of time to get back to him, he told me he owns a condo in Hawaii.
At first I thought it was a jab at me for never really leaving the Island, but then I remembered he doesn’t even know me and I learned him owning a condo in Hawaii was actually integral to the reason he was calling me in the first place. Maybe I would have known that sooner if I’d gotten back to him within a reasonable amount of time.
Moving on. I’m going to tell you the problem early on here in a tidy three sentences so that you know what the situation is in case you decide to stop reading.
Here are the important parts:
1. Mr. Manhas has property in Hawaii that he rents out.
2. A renter left a camera there.
3. Mr. Manhas wants to return the camera and he wants us to help find its owner.
That’s all you really need to know to share this story. So please share it.
Moving on to the details now:
“I am not on social media. I have no Facebook page, I have absolutely nothing. I don’t do any of that,” Manhas explained. “I’d love to return this camera. There’s probably pictures in it, I’ve never opened it. I don’t want to look. I’m just hoping that somehow I can find this guy.”
This inquisitive reporter was willing to pry.
The photos are mainly of an older couple and beautiful scenery from what looks like one heck of a trip; from Sydney, Australia and Hawaii at least. Possibly other locations, but as I said, I don’t get off the Island much so what do I know?
“I do remember an email from somebody and the guy said he forgot his camera,” Manhas explained. “I replied that I will get my property manager to check it and email him back. This was a couple of years ago.”
Years!
“I thought it was all handled until I actually went to my condo last October to renovate and I find this camera,” Manhas said. “I was thinking ‘what! This camera was supposed to have gone back to this guy!’”
Almost another year has passed.
The photos on the camera were generally dated 2015/16. Whoever the rightful owner is has been missing it for a long time now and perhaps has even forgotten about it at this point.
“It shocked me that this guy never emailed back. He’s got to have my contact information. He’s got to have my phone number and email,” Manhas said. “I thought he got it back and that’s why I never heard from him again.”
Manhas said he’s certain the fellow was Canadian or American but not from Cowichan or the Island “because they would have easily got a hold of me,” so he’s reaching out with the hope of spreading the word further afield.
“It’s somebody’s camera,” he said. “To me, it’s a beautiful, big camera, tt’s not a cheap $50 camera. I’m sure they were travelling so there’s probably their family photos on there.”
So, here we are, dear readers, with a chance to help turn an unfortunate event into a good news story. Will you help me and spread the word?
“I just want it to go back to the owner,” Manhas said. “Wouldn’t that be unreal?”
sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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