On New Year’s Eve in 2000 my house was robbed for the second time, and much to the amusement of a few friends, this time it wasn’t just the usual video recorder / jewellery / TV heist – it included a few more personal items which weren’t exactly insurance company replaceable.
The first (which got the most laughs at the time) was my pair of black mocassins (slippers) – standard Preston issue many say. They are one of those items that (along with flannelette shirts, or their modern day equivalent: press studded tracksuit pants) when worn publically, would instantly cause my mother to act modern and sily and use the frisky term ‘loser’ to describe the person. It’s probably fair to say that most people wearing mocassins outside are a little down and out or at least uncaring about their appearance. So, the fact that in Preston, people would steal a worn pair of mocassins is hilarious to people.
The second and far more damaging stolen item was my collection of used Melbourne tram tickets (Metcards), which were stored in a plastic business card folder in my bedside drawer. All I can think of is that the person invading my house thought that they were new and could be re-sold or used. It’s unfathomable that they were fellow collectors themselves.
For a long time I’ve lamented the loss of this collection – perhaps only about 100 cards in total. I started collecting them shortly after the new readers were installed in trams (1998) and made some effort to buy (and use) different ones each day. There were many sets (Leunig cards amongst them) that were artistic or whimsical or which celebrated different events in Melbourne. So, the ultimate snapshot of Melbourne life. Even better, I had to buy them to get to work most days so no money was involved.
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After they were gone I was disheartened, and stopped worrying about them. The tickets I bought largely went into the bin, except for the occasional one I had handy when finishing a book – I’d slip it into the back page as a reminder of the date I’d last read that book.
I found a couple of older ones recently and realised I could get a small collection going again – particularly if I systematically went through all my books. So I think I might try it. After some quick searches, I’ve found a fantastic resource with pics of Metcards I can aspire towards collecting. If you live in Melbourne and have a few lying around, throw them my way and you’ll make someone very happy.