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Daughter clears up confusion on Vernon recluse

Dag Aabye’s abandoned school bus home on SilverStar Mountain was not lost in a fire
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Vernon’s well-known, beloved recluse Dag Aabye, seen near his bus on the side of SilverStar Mountain in 2018, will be moving to the Maritimes to be closer to his daughter. But not under circumstances brought to light in a social media post. (Brett Popplewell)

The daughter of a well-known recluse in Vernon is clearing up confusion after a fundraiser suggested he may have lost the bus in which he lives.

Dag Aabye, now in his 80s, has lived in an abandoned school bus in SilverStar Mountain for more than 20 years.

A fundraising initiative, which was posted online in early February before being deleted, suggested that he may have lost his bus and was needing help getting to the Maritimes where his daughter lives.

In an update on social media, Heidi Aabye said that while her dad is hoping to move closer to her, he still had access to his bus while in the Vernon mountains.

“I appreciate all the donations, it’s been very overwhelming. But I also want to state that his bus did not burn to the ground,” she said on Sunday, Feb. 18. “Yes, there was an incident, but it was one of many factors. We are currently in the process of getting him to New Brunswick, where I am sure he will live to 100.”

Heidi said the money donated will go towards getting her father set up in the Maritimes, because “unlike my father, the bus is on its last legs, and he needs to be closer to his daughter.”

Heidi noted that she’d like to respect how privately her dad has lived his life. Those who donated under the impression he had lost his bus can reach out to her directly for a refund.

Aabye is one of the more fascinating residents of the Okanagan: he is a ultramarathon runner and subject of a best-selling book called Outsider: A Man, A Mountain, and the Search for a Hidden Past.

READ MORE: Recluse Okanagan ultramarathoner the subject of best-selling book

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Roger Knox

About the Author: Roger Knox

I am a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. I started my career in radio and have spent the last 21 years working with Black Press Media.
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