The various difficulties in solving the mystery of the lost gold bars never gets any easier. Despite having paid a high personal price financially, physically and emotionally, the legalities before me are considerable. No one is allowed to dig on crown land for commercial gain. The treasure trove found to date could be considered as such although they items are not for sale and no money is expected from them.
My long-term vision is that the gold bars and items related to the robbery should be owned by the province for the enjoyment of all. The problem I face now is trying to convince a government agency to regard my quest as a viable one with a potentially positive outcome. I asked the Heritage Branch for an opinion and was told that I should leave them where they are for others to look. I disagree and believe the two rough ingots could be found by others and would quickly be recast and sold or disappear into a private collection. I am not a brilliant person and believe others are capable of learning what I have.
When I contacted the Museums Association of BC, the advice I obtained was to see if the Osoyoos and District Museum showed any interest. My modest proposal didn’t gain any interest. They are busy with the move although I thought the timing might have been good to add a display about the robbery. The next step involved sending a proposal to the Royal BC Museum in Victoria but no reply has been received as of this writing.
The story of the missing gold bars is a great one and the details can be verified. Too bad Bill Barlee passed away before I made any significant progress. I believe he’d of listened to my account and helped in any way possible.