A CEMETERY in Rouse Hill is offering a $5000 reward for information leading to the arrest of culprits who stole $55,000 of ornamental vases from individual grave sites.
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The theft from Castlebrook Memorial Park was noticed by its grounds team, led by operations manager Terry Farmer, around 7.30am yesterday.
The cemetery’s communications manager, Karl Wolfenden, said about 100 bronze vases, worth $550 each, have gone missing from individual grave sites in the Calvary IV and Calvary V memorial areas of the cemetery off Windsor Road.
No other damage appears to have been caused.
Officers from Quakers Hill Local Area Command have commenced an investigation.
‘‘Far from being a victimless crime, these perpetrators will have impacted on people who are experiencing grief’’
- Karl Wolfenden
‘‘Thieves and vandals are on notice that the police are actively investigating this matter and, as a way of supporting that investigation and showing our commitment to the families we serve, we are offering a $5000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the perpetrators,’’ Mr Wolfenden said.
‘‘Cemeteries are public spaces that receive thousands of visitors each week, and we are places of personal and family history.
‘‘We would wish that every visitor to our grounds respects that memorials are an important way for the living to remember and honour their loved ones.
‘‘So far from being a victimless crime, these perpetrators will have impacted on people who are experiencing grief.
‘‘As a broad acre memorial area, we have a long boundary line which is why we are calling on the community to assist us to identify the thieves, and we hope the reward we are offering will provide an incentive for people to report suspicious behaviour.
‘‘As this has just occurred, we have not yet notified all families.
‘‘Some of the affected memorials have been in place for decades, so getting in contact with families will be complicated by such matters as families having moved, people remarrying or having passed away.
‘‘Initial reaction from staff was, of course, of great disappointment that these vases had been removed, particularly as Christmas is a time when many people come to pay their respects to departed family members.
‘‘From families and members of the public, the reaction is of great upset.
‘‘These vases are additions to memorials and have been especially chosen by loved ones, so that they can place flowers upon graves and memorial sites. This will affect grieving loved ones.’’
‘‘We are in discussions with our suppliers, to determine a suitable replacement which will be provided to affected families, free of charge’’
- Karl Wolfenden
Mr Wolfenden said Castlebrook would replace the stolen vases.
‘‘However, to discourage this from occurring again, we will not be replacing them with items made of bronze — plastic vases will be available for families to place flowers during their visits over the Christmas period,’’ he said.
‘‘We are in discussions with our suppliers, to determine a suitable replacement which will be provided to affected families, free of charge.’’
Asked if vases have been stolen before, Mr Wolfenden said, ‘‘Going back a decade, there have been isolated incidents. This is the first incident with such a large number of vases.
‘‘From time to time Castlebrook, like any cemetery of memorial space, will occasionally have a visitor who enters the grounds with less than honourable intentions, such as earlier in the year when someone performed burnouts in a Porsche on one of our memorial lawns.’’
He was making reference to what occurred in January, 2015, when a 40-year-old woman caught ‘‘doing doughnuts’’ in the Rouse Hill cemetery in her Porsche similarly incensed the local community.
Some called for the woman from Kellyville Ridge to be named and shamed after she allegedly did burn-outs in Castlebrook Memorial Park. Others wanted her to pay for the damage.
READ MORE: Click here to read what happened with the Porsche.
‘‘Thankfully, most in the community understand that cemeteries are places for people experiencing grief,’’ Mr Wolfenden said.
‘‘We would ask all people who enter our grounds, or that of any cemetery, to realise that their actions will affect people trying to honour their loved ones through private acts of remembrance.’’
Investigators are appealing for anyone who witnessed or has information about the stealing to contact Quakers Hill Police Station on 9678 8999 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
WHAT YOU SAID ON FACEBOOK
■ Jaye Bain: ‘‘Can’t believe this, who does that??’’
■ Harper Dennon: ‘‘Seriously hope it is not those who already have a business selling headstones etc... Or someone stealing to sell back to manufacturer?? That would be so low [frown emoticon].’’
■ Kerry Slade: ‘‘Omg how sad can people be!! Disrespectful.’’
■ Belinda Young: ‘‘So disrespectful!’’
Commenting on these social media reactions, Mr Wolfenden said: ‘‘We share the community’s outrage and are asking for the community’s assistance in finding the thieves.’’
Click here to join the Facebook discussion.