We are very much looking forward to moving into Alberta to continue our search for Owen. The media has been very supportive! Click here to see the latest from CTV Calgary and here to see the latest from CBC Calgary.
The people of Alberta are offering many very helpful comments, suggestions, offers of accomodation and tips regarding the possible sighting of Owen.
We can't thank you enough!!!!
The dream/sun catchers in grande prairie were being sold a little while ago the girl I bought one fr said they were selling them to travel around she was from Europe I believe
ReplyDeleteThanks Anonymous, it really helps us to place these groups if we have approx dates and its good to know who is in the group so your information is really helpful
ReplyDeleteis there any chance if his hair has grown out, that it is curley? I ask because I saw a man with a quick glance that was similar in looks sitting in a white van with a bc plate in our parking lot the other day. The van is still here...if its a possibility I will take a closer look and try and catch the man next time and say hi.
ReplyDeleteI do believe he was on his way to Lac Labiche,Ab to go to work and save up some money to go back home to Austrailia...that's what he told me..when we had coffee at Huskey Truck stop on Yellow Head hwy in Edmonton,Alberta Sept 30-31 2010 8:00pm & 9:00p
ReplyDeleteWearing Black Ball cap "CAT" logo on front
Blue Jean Jacket with grey hoody
Cargo pants (lots of pockets)
work boots
back pack (lots of pockets)
Mp3 player or I-pod
I will be up there soon...I hope I run into him...so I can help him and call police to send him home...he needs his family!!!
Thank you that would be wonderful but please if you have any concerns all you need to do is call the RCMP and hopefully they will respond for you and take the plate number and any other information you can think of. approching a strange van is sometimes not a good idea even with the best intentions
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous thanks for this information!!!If you see him this time please call the RCMP and let us know tell him to call!!! anything
ReplyDeleteAll the best to you in your search. welcome to freezing cold alberta. http://www.downunderclubcalgary.com/ Might find some fellow aussies via here. I've hitched around a bit in AB and lived in and around calgary for 5 years. if you think calgary might be a place he is in/has passed thru get on the road and hitch, truckers will sometimes pick up homeless people. that may unearth some info and put you in touch with trucking network. Or try stopping at the many truck pull offs and seeking some info from stationary trucks. try the calgary shelters/drop in centers and hang out in bridgeland area. Wicked Hostels in Calgary is full of young green Austrailian kids. They may have some ideas for you. Try the mustard seed shelters. There are a lot of street people in Calgary and talking to drug dealers outside of the downtown core may provide some useful information. It's unfortunate and perhaps due to a mental illness such as schizophrenia he may be looking for any kinds of drugs to cope. i guess owen looks quite different now and has a beard. if he's still paranoid, he probably will be trying to elude everybody, which might make him hard to find. i would spend time talking to people who work with street people and those that understand the effects of the drugs he may be using. All the best in your search. I admire your dedication. - kiwi bloke
ReplyDeleteI do not know if the clothes described in one of the posts above would be what Owen Rooney would necessarily choose to wear. His finances might be very limited and selections from a homeless shelter might be few. I am doubtful of an amnesiac having an ipod but just about everyone seems to have some sort of music device these days.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you.
I'm still confused as to whether he ever revealed a name to the "coffee chatter" or not. He knows he is from Australia and apparently knows he lives in Australia but may have forgotten the more recent apartment and relatives that are in BC, Canada. He apparently knows how to drive a truck or felt it was a reasonable job expectation.
ReplyDeleteI wish you luck with this potential lead.
Thanks FleaStiff, Owen hasnt a truck licence, the man who gave us the tip has headed back up north so we cant ask him any more questions!!! or hes not answering!!
ReplyDeleteI know there was some confusion at the hospital regarding whether Owen was in possession of his wallet or not but I can't quite imagine someone getting a job driving a truck for a stone-related business in Lac La Biche without at the very least providing some sort of drivers license and almost certainly they would want a Canadian license not an International license or an Australian license.
ReplyDeleteOf course some employers are more lax than others but it seemed strange to me.
As to someone suffering from retrograde amnesia wanting to get home to Australia but not wanting to get to his more recent home in Kelowna, I'll leave that to the doctors.
Indeed, if you take at face value the description given of him as regards to his style of conversation, attention span, looking around in fear .... one wonders what a potential employer might think of such a person during a job interview for any work much less work involving driving a truck.
ReplyDeleteWe will follow it up, the RCMP also have the information and we have some contact via facebook of some people up there so if it is him and he is still working up there, hopefully our path to Owen will be clearer than it is now.Some one somewhere knows something.
ReplyDeleteI would like to help in some way, if you need it, please feel free to email me at therantingmom@gmail.com...
ReplyDeleteOur thoughts of hope are with you and your son...
Mrs Rooney,
ReplyDeletePlease call the front desk at Coast Plaza in Calgary.
Thank you
Front Desk Staff
Please don't discount a sighting on the basis of clothing and ipod. Given his young age he may have purchased or borrowed the ipod as a necessity. Music may be a priority in his mind.
ReplyDeleteI have worked with homeless men for several years. Only those who have suffered a total break with cultural norms or use them as a costume when panhandling wear ragged and dirty clothes. It is extremely easy for homeless persons to acquire clothing which lets them blend in and they can always go into public restrooms to clean up. Our soup kitchen also provides showers and toiletries without requiring valid ID. It is quite common for charity thrift stores to pass clothes to needy men at no charge and no paper work. I can't tell you how many times we pass out clean dry socks, coats, boots and sleeping bags without really looking at the man needing them, especially when the person shows any kind of embarrassment. Other times I might meet the same guy downtown and we get a coffee and talk. Donations left outside of the charity stores at night or in donation bins are often appropriated with no one the wiser. Need a jacket or a backpack? Go to a public place like a library, college or university and pick one off the hook when nobody is looking, ipod included. People learn how to survive quickly when homeless, some with less scruples than others. If Owen is selling dream catchers or working unloading trucks (don't need a license for that) he still has pride in working for what he gets.
very nicely said!!
ReplyDeleteHey just wanted to mention that while looking at the site here and on facebook I noticed someone commented on one of the photos of the dream catchers that a man fitting Owen description was selling them in Lac Labiche,Ab
ReplyDeleteGood luck, my thoughts are with you guys!
Thanks for the information. We did have several reports that one of the people selling dream catchers lookes like Owen. but we were always several steps behind them and have never had it confirmed.
ReplyDelete