AN apprentice mechanic has learned you don’t always need tools to fix a broken situation, as the wider community rallies behind him after the loss of all of his equipment in a Moyhu main street theft.
Darby West had his Ford Ranger work ute parked where it ordinarily would be on a Friday night on Moyhu’s Byrne Street, staying with his partner before playing footy in the town the next day.
Sometime in the early hours of 14 June, an unknown offender broke into the utility’s back canopy and stole all of Darby’s mechanical tools, including a tool kit, power tools and hand tools.
The apprentice mechanic said around $6000 worth of his things were stolen, leaving him completely shocked.
“You don’t expect it to happen, it’s pretty devastating given I’m on apprentice wages and they were all out of my own pocket,” he said.
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The 21-year-old said he had been thrust into uncertainty over the past two weeks as he works out what to do next as he attended his TAFE classes.
Owner of the neighbouring Ineeta Café, Anita Cook, saw the devastation of Darby firsthand with the theft taking place out the front of her house as he stayed over with the family.
“To see him so gutted with the loss of all of his tools and not knowing where to go forward from there I thought what could I do to help,” Anita said.
Last week she committed to raise funds for Darby through her café with a donation jar placed at the front counter and committing 50 cents of each coffee purchase to Darby’s tool funds.
In just the first day of having donations available last Friday, Anita said she raised $1000 for Darby, which included a $500 donation from the Moyhu Lions Club.
“I had an elderly couple come out from Wangaratta after seeing my post and came up with a $50 note and put it in my jar,” she said.
“I asked if they know Darby or the West family and they said no, they just read the story and knew how devastated they felt for the young man to have lost all of his things and just wanted to help.
“I think that’s what the community is about around here, just wanting to help.”
Donations have also come pouring in from other local clubs including the Moyhu and Whorouly football netball clubs, who held raffles at their weekend games, proceeds going to Darby.
Other donations have come from local businesses including Wangaratta Bearings.
Darby said he had been lost for words in accepting the kindness of the community.
“A big thank you to not just the Moyhu community but the wider community, every donation helps,” he said.
Leading Senior Constable Scott Miller of Glenrowan police said an investigation was still ongoing into the theft of the tools on Byrne Street and anyone with further information was encouraged to contact the Glenrowan Police Station on (03) 5766 2215 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
