Two custom drums owned by a world-class pipe band were swiped from a car parked overnight at a northside Port Coquitlam home yesterday (Sunday).
And musicians and staff with the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band say the theft could land them in trouble as they ready for the world championships in Scotland.
The Andante snare drums — as well as two harnesses, soft-shell black cases, a backpack (containing a practice pad and drum sticks) and some personal items — were locked in the car trunk of a band member who had competed at the BC Highland Games and Scottish Festival at Percy Perry Stadium in Coquitlam Town Centre Park Saturday.
The band gathered that evening at another drummer's home, near Terry Fox secondary, to celebrate its win with a barbecue meal. Afterward, the drummer got a ride home and left his vehicle and its contents in the driveway, where five more cars were parked.
It's believed his car was broken into between 3:30 and 9:30 a.m.; however, none of the other cars was touched, homeowner Charlene Wallis told The Tri-City News Monday.
Wallis reported the incident to Coquitlam RCMP and, since then, has been scouring the neighbourhood as well as Craigslist and other online sites to see if the SFU-branded gear has turned up and is being illegally sold. She also has raised the alert with the school and Long & McQuade, which has a store nearby, while the Grade 1 band has posted about the loss on its Facebook page, showing images of the missing drums and equipment.
"Hopefully, this is a hard sell," Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Mike McLaughlin said but "typically, these are hard to trace as they have no serial numbers…. This is a good reminder that when you leave your car, you take your valuables with you. Nothing should be inside."
Rob Watt, a retired Mountie and the SFU pipe band secretary, said the band hopes to recover the specialized drums before it travels to the Kamloops and Skagit Valley competitions in the next few weeks. He said the band also has its eye on reclaiming the world title on the Glasgow Green Aug. 12 — an honour it has held six times since 1995.
Watt said the theft has serious ramifications if the instruments are not found in time as the drums are finely tuned; spare drums brought up from junior bands isn't an option for the Glasgow championships. "For this to happen, it impacts the whole organization," he said. "It's very frustrating."
• Coquitlam RCMP asks anyone who finds the drums in person or online to contact police at 604-945-1550, quoting file number CQ2017-18440.
