Nor'West News: July 21, 2022

8
HOME & HEATING
Thursday July 21 2022
Keep cosy with
RD Petroleum
this winter
UNIQUE: The bucket bike when Al Duncan first brought it to Christchurch
from Wellington just over four years ago.
Kids ‘gutted’ after
bucket bike stolen
• By Emily Moorhouse
THE OWNER of a
unique cargo bike that
was stolen from his garage
is overwhelmed by the
supportive response from
the community.
Al Duncan’s bucket
bike was stolen earlier this
month from his home
in Waltham and after
nearly three weeks of no
sightings, he has decided
to replace it.
Duncan bought the bike
from Bicycle Junction in
Wellington and made the
bucket box in his friend’s
workshop, after measuring
his children to make sure
they would fit. Every
morning Neema, 10, and
Malo, 8, would climb in
for what many would say
is a unique ride to school,
30min across town to
Burnside.
However, earlier this
month, Duncan left a
garage door opener in his
unlocked car, which was
parked up his driveway.
When he returned that
night, he noticed his car
was unlocked, so locked it
without thinking much of
it and put his bike in the
garage.
The next morning his
garage door was wide
open and his bike was
gone along with power
tools, cycling gear and
hiking packs.
He said someone must
have taken the garage door
opener out of his unlocked
car during the day and
returned that night to steal
his belongings.
“It’s not the kind of
bike you can throw in the
back of a car and take off
because it’s got a really
long wheel base so you
need a long van or trailer
to pick it up and take it
somewhere,” Duncan said.
Duncan phoned police
MEMORIES: Duncan took a selfie with his
children Malo (left) and Neema each time they
took a ride in the bucket bike.
to file a report straight
away but after not hearing
anything back and
contacting his insurance
company, he has decided
to replace the bike.
The bike originally cost
Duncan $8000, with extra
costs to build the bucket
box, but now the price
has hiked up to $13,000
due to supply chain issues
and inflation, something
Duncan is willing to pay
to get it replaced.
Duncan was “blown
away” by the support he
received online about his
stolen bike and has more
than 30,000 views on his
LinkedIn post and more
than 100 likes on his
Facebook post.
He had received
comments from members
of the community saying
they’ve seen him ride
through the city with his
kids.
“When you’re on a bike
like that and you’ve got
kids in it you get people
giving you a wide birth
and people winding down
their window and talking
to you at traffic lights and
just real engagement with
people around you so it’s
been really noticed in the
community.”
Duncan said the bike
was a big part of time
spent with his children,
taking it to Little River for
a camping trip and taking
selfies in it together each
time they ride.
“I’ve got four years
of pictures of them
growing up in the bucket
so it’s really close to my
heart.”
Duncan said he was
nervous to tell Neema
and Malo the bike had
been stolen but said while
they were “gutted” they
handled it well and his
friend has even let them
use his, which is a similar
model.
“There’s been a beautiful
response from people
and I’m really grateful for
that,” Duncan said.
“To be burgled is a
pretty horrible feeling
but to have that love and
support around instantly
from the community
has been uplifting and
helps you remember the
positive things rather than
focusing on the negative.”
RD Petroleum (RDP) is a familiar sight
for farm and rural residents around the
Canterbury region, however now days urban
residents also enjoy the same excellent
customer service for which RDP is known for
in rural communities, through their home
heating diesel.
RDP began its home heating diesel delivery
service to the lower South Island’s main urban
centres of Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin
and Invercargill a number of years ago.
Customer demand has continued to increase
year upon year, and RDP has responded
with specialised improvements to its delivery
equipment.
The trucks that deliver RDP’s home heating
diesel in each urban centre are drawn from
the company’s extensive vehicle fleet. This
means they have the latest communication
and GPS tracking technology on board, so
the operations team always know where they
are and how far away they are from their next
delivery stop.
RDP’s home heating diesel trucks come
equipped with a specially-designed hose,
through which the diesel is pumped from
the truck into house tanks. The length of
the hose allows the trucks to access tanks
without having to enter the property, avoiding
damaging the driveway. RDP is the place to
go if you require diesel conveniently delivered
to your home and as a loyal RDP customer
you’re offered discounted pricing and can
become eligible for value-added benefits.
For all enquiries please phone
0800 44 00 14, or visit the RDP website at
https://www.rdp.co.nz/home-heating or
signup at apply.rdp.co.nz/home-heating