By Parker McKenzie
World War II medals, jewellery handcrafted by grandparents and a necklace marking the death of her baby son were some of the items stolen from Karen Elbourne’s family home in Ferntree Gully, after it was robbed on Sunday 8 January.
Ms Elbourne put out a call for help online asking for assistance in locating the stolen items, and she told the Star Mail several items of sentimental value were taken during the robbery, much to her and the family’s dismay.
“My grandfather was a signalman during World War Two and he was corresponding with my grandmother, they did romance through letters while was stationed,” she said.
“He spent his time while he was posted carving those little items out of pearl shells that he went diving for with a blunt butter knife.”
Other sentimental items taken during the robbery included war medals that belonged to her husband’s grandfather and a necklace marking the death of her son Ryan.
Ms Elbourne said the awful experience is made worse by the fact that while the items are precious and sentimental to her family, they have very little monetary value.
“To anyone else, it won’t have the same story and just heartbreaking to think that someone would just throw it out because they don’t know,” she said.
“I’ve learned not to store things of value with things that are just sentimental value if that’s helpful to anyone.”
She said if anyone knows any information or finds the items, they should contact Boronia Police Station, where she made the original report after the robbery.
“Hopefully someone knows something or they might see something and get it returned,” she said.
“They’re not worth anything. He wasn’t a jeweller or anything; they’re just special because of the story behind the items.”
If anyone has any information regarding the stolen items, they can contact Boronia Police Station at 9760 6600.
