"I've lost my memory and I'm willing to offer a reward to get it back."
Dr Buzz Burrell has made an impassioned plea for the return of his 1GB USB drive which contains important medical research, lectures for University of Otago medical students and a nearly-completed book he has been writing.
The Blenheim Centre Rural Immersion Programme regional co-ordinator and University of Otago School of Medicine lecturer said the memory stick was in the pocket of his brown leather jacket, which was stolen from the Bog Irish Bar in Dunedin about a month ago.
At the time, he was not worried about the jacket, but since then he had realised the much-needed memory stick had been in a pocket of the jacket.
"Whoever has taken it is probably a poor, cold student who needs it more than I do.
"So, I'm not worried about the jacket.
"But my life is on that stick.
"There's about 20 power point medical lectures, 99% of a book about the two months I spent practising medicine in Bangladesh, and research on the future treatment of asthma which I was running with Curtin University in Perth."
Dr Burrell said he was "a huge moron" and rued not backing up the files.
He contacted Dunedin police about the theft, but they were not hopeful of its return.
Dr Burrell offered a $100 reward to anyone who dropped the memory stick off to a police station near them.
"$200 if they give the jacket back too," he added.
