Elderly man's pride and joy drum kits stolen from storage unit

A recent photo of Dennis Taylor which shows one of his stolen drum kits.

An elderly Kapiti man is shattered after two of his cherished drum kits were stolen from a storage unit in Paraparaumu.

Dennis Taylor, 82, said his two Premier drum kits, one a red glitter set, the other a blood red Pearl set, both with Zildjian cymbals, were stolen from a Kapiti Allsafe Mini Storage unit in Birmingham St.

He put the drums in the unit on June 26 but when he checked on them on July 19 he discovered someone had broken in and his drums and some other items stolen.

"You could have knocked me over," said Dennis, who lives in Paraparaumu.

"I'm not over it yet because it is part of my life.

"I was gutted and even now I think 'why me, what did I do, why do I deserve this?'."

Miriam and Dennis Taylor.

Wife Miriam said, "He came home and said 'I've got some bad news' and I thought he had smashed the car up, but when he said the drums had been stolen, I just felt sick.

"We've just been walking around like zombies.

"We simply can't believe it.

"The drums were his pride and joy."

Dennis is a Mana Coach Services driver working five days a week locally but has not resumed his driving duties because of the impact the theft has had on him.

"His head isn't in the right space for driving," Miriam said.

Also stolen from the unit was a Jack Nicklaus ladies set of golf clubs belonging to Miriam, as well as a carton of documents, which a builder found dumped in a skip bin in Waikanae.

Dennis, who is well-known in musical circles, has been drumming since 1950 when he was a youth growing up in Taranaki.

"I just had rhythm."

He has been in various bands in Taranaki and Kapiti and is the key figure behind the Coast to Coast Jazz band which he has been involved with for 28 years.

Contact Kapiti police, in Paraparaumu, if you have any information about the theft.