When a thoughtless thief stole Les Cook's mountain bike earlier this month, they deprived the World War II veteran of his primary mode of transport.
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Despite losing his much-loved white Giant bike from outside a friend's house in Curtin on April 5, the 90-year-old remains optimistic it might be returned.
"I have been lucky my whole life," the Garran resident said on Monday, "I never made any money, but I have been lucky."
Estimating his travels at more than 5,000km each year, Cook regularly used the secondhand bike to visit his 3 children, 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
His wife Betty died in 2004.
"I have a drivers license but my car isn't here at home so I used the bike to get around most of the time," he said.
"A few times each month I visit a friend who fought in New Guinea and who can't leave his house, and while I was inside someone pinched the bike."
A gift from a family member, Cook said the bike was worth around $900 and had a list of modifications "as long as your arm".
Left unlocked outside the house, Cook said he had allowed his son-in-law to seek public help in the hope that someone would notice the bike and help facilitate its return.
"I don't want people to think of me as some kind of sob story looking for a new bike, but if someone has seen it dumped or left against a tree somewhere they might see this and know it's mine."
Leaving school in Victoria at 15, Cook tried to enlist for war service with the 6th Division of the Australian Imperial Force when he was 16-year-old but was turned away by authorities.
"I managed to enlist when I was 17, about the time of Dunkirk in May 1940, and sailed to Middle East in October 1940, and North Africa, Greece, Crete, Syria and Palestine."
He returned to Victoria in March 1942, before completing a six month tour of New Guinea including campaigns in Lae and the Ramu Valley.
The intrepid cyclist returned to the Kokoda Track twice, including in 2012 when he met the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.
"A bike isn't a bad way to get around but I try and stay on the footpath as much as I can because I think cyclists can be a bloody nuisance to drivers on the road," he said.
Anyone with information about the theft can contact the Woden Police Station on 6256 7777.
