But to the Morey family, the bicycle represented their son’s independence.

Barbara Morey and her husband had bought the bicycle as a Christmas present for John, who has an intellectual disability, as a means for him to get himself to and from his work programs at Aspire Support Services.

But on Monday morning, the family was shocked and disappointed to find both John’s new and old bikes had been stolen from the front verandah of their Gayview Drive home.

“My heart just jumped into my throat,” Mrs Morey said.

“It was really good for his independence to have it ... and we had really checked into it because we wanted him to have a bike that was reliable and suited to his needs.”

The family had returned from a holiday camping trip on Sunday, and that was the first chance John had to ride the bike before it was stolen that night.

“I only got to ride it once,” he said.

“I was really angry about it.”

Mrs Morey believes the bikes were stolen some time on Sunday night or Monday morning before 6am, when her husband awoke.

The yard is enclosed by a fence almost two metres high and a padlocked gate. The lock was not tampered with.

“You think you’re safe with a fence like that,” Mrs Morey said.

“I’d put aside $20 a week to buy it for him for Christmas ... people have got to understand when they take someone’s possessions there’s a story behind them.”

The bicycle was a “Specialized” brand black mountain bike with blue and orange detail.

Phone Wodonga police on (02) 6049 2600 if you have information.