The moment when someone realizes their wallet is missing, panic usually sets in. A frantic retracing of steps follows, and their mind races to remember where it may have gone missing.
That's what happened in the afternoon of August 19 to Suzanna Fidler, or Zanna, as she is known, a fairly recent newcomer to the northern Sunshine Coast. But, it wasn't just the inconvenience of having to cancel bank cards and replace a driver's licence; she also had a cherished photo of her mother [who has passed away] in the wallet.
"Every once in a while life dishes up kind lessons underwritten by the pure decency of humankind," said Zanna about her recent predicament. "I drove north from my now rural abode to run errands on a slightly cooler summer day with my dog Dazzle alongside me; my first port-of-call was at the gas station to fill up on jerry cans of fuel for my garden machinery."
Zanna then stopped by Rona, Save-On-Foods and then Duke’s Liquor Store.
"I had money in my wallet, plus bank cards, my identification and driver’s licence," said Zanna. "It's just such a revolting couple of hours, but I had so many amazing human beings trying to help me and, of course, not least of all, the man who actually sought me out to return it to me."
After realizing her red wallet was not in her pocket, Zanna drove back up Duncan Street scanning the road and then to 7-Eleven, where she had previously stopped to secure the jerry cans.
"I was really upset and by the time I got to the end of the day, I was in the police station reporting it," said Zanna. "Then this friend called me out of the blue. He said, 'We've got your wallet.' I said, how the heck have you got my wallet?"
Zanna said she burst into tears at the police station when she heard the good news, but not for monetary reasons.
"I could get over the loss of money, the bank cards and the inconvenience, but I have a picture of my mother in there, who died the year I came to Canada," said Zanna. "It just really gripped me, and so there, I had the police officer hugging me."
Zanna said she still can't believe how kind the workers were at Save-On-Foods and Duke's, where they took the time to look at video footage to help find the wallet.
Then, at ICBC, she said they were pretty much done for the day when she showed up, but rebooted their computer system to issue her a temporary licence.
"My friend said on the phone, a gentleman saw it on the road, which was Duncan Street, and stopped, and picked it up," said Zanna. "An elderly gentleman, he went through my wallet, found my address and drove all the way back to find me."
Zanna moved from Squamish to south of town near Stillwater last December.
"In the meantime my dear friend Gord saw this man pull up in my driveway and it turns out they were old colleagues who hadn't seen each other in years," said Zanna. "I asked my friend to ask him [Doug] if could wait because I wanted to thank him."
Zanna said she moved to the northern Sunshine Coast to start life over after some tumultuous years in Squamish.
"I arrived on Friday the 13th, in a violent storm," said Zanna. "I'd left a broken marriage, a broken family; my whole life imploded all throughout COVID-19 and beyond."
Zanna first discovered the qathet region while on a holiday with a friend.
"I just thought, 'this is my place,'" said Zanna. "I was born in Cyprus, the Mediterranean; my father was in the military, so I've lived everywhere."
Zanna said after finding her wallet and encountering so many patient and kind people, it sunk in that this place was home.
"It's my kinda town," said Zanna. "I mean, I made a deliberate decision because I love to be by the ocean, and it has a sort of end-of-the-road feel here."
Join the Peak's email list for the top headlines right in your inbox Monday to Friday.
