Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Son’s quest to find dad’s beloved car ‘before it’s too late’
Public appeal to locate missing Morris Minor
The son of a man living with Alzheimer’s is trying to track down the location of his dad’s beloved Morris Minor.
Ian Dearberg took to Facebook in an effort to find the car, which he believes his father put into storage somewhere in or near Canterbury about 10 years ago. Posting to the Remembering Canterbury site, Ian wrote: “Mum and dad lived in Upper Harbledown, just outside Canterbury, and back in 1987 dad purchased a vintage black Morris Minor – 539 RMU.
“In 2003 they moved house but remained in the village. There was no dedicated parking for this house so dad had to park the Morris Minor on the road, which he was not happy about. “Dad would occasionally drive the Morris Minor, but wouldn’t go far. It would just be in and around Canterbury. I believe that sometime around 2011/2012 he moved it into a storage facility.
“Dad did not mention where the storage facility was. I think this was more because it never came up and he never felt the need, not because he did not want anyone to know where the storage was.
“Dad had other cars that he drove, so where the Morris was never had to come up in conversation. “Unfortunately, dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s some time ago and it wasn’t until having to sort through mum and dad’s house that I came across documentation relating to the Morris Minor, which then got me thinking as to where it was. “There was no documentation relating to storage or payment for storage or anything that may give an indication as to where dad had stored it.
“With dad’s condition, and although still occasionally remembering the Morris Minor itself, he has no recollection of where the vehicle was stored.” Ian says he has spoken to his dad’s old work colleagues, friends and people within the village, but so far all ideas they have had have drawn a blank. Now he is hoping a wider public appeal will be seen by someone who knows where the car is. He added: “I can’t imagine the storage would have been very far away from Canterbury as dad would not have wanted to have driven the Morris very far. “Mum passed away earlier this year and dad is now in a nursing home, where he is cared for 24/7. Dad isn’t getting any better or younger and I would love to try and reunite him with the Morris Minor before it is too late.”
■ Do you know where the car is? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup.co.uk.
‘I can’t imagine the storage would have been very far away from Canterbury’