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Home / New Zealand

Thieves ruin SPCA's big fundraiser

By Erin Kavanagh-Hall
Wairarapa Times-Age·
3 Mar, 2015 05:34 PM3 mins to read

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TARGET: The Wairarapa SPCA was burgled on Sunday night, the latest in a string of break-ins at the centre.

TARGET: The Wairarapa SPCA was burgled on Sunday night, the latest in a string of break-ins at the centre.

Wairarapa SPCA's successful Children's Day celebrations have ended on a sour note, with close to $1000 taken from the centre over the weekend.

The Ngaumutawa Rd centre hosted a family fun day on Sunday to mark International Children's Day, with volunteers collecting donations for the SPCA.

Staff arrived at work on Monday morning to discover a window open and all the donated money, plus cash from the till float - totalling $730 - missing.

Police are investigating, and are appealing to the public to come forward with any information.

Wairarapa SPCA chair Rob Sewell said he and volunteers are "gutted" by the theft - which has come as the centre has been recovering from a financially trying year.

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"It wasn't a lot of money they took - but it's pretty sick," Mr Sewell said.

"My guess is someone was at our event, saw us shaking the buckets, and thought, 'oh, there'll be some money in there tonight'.

"I suppose they felt they were more entitled to it than our animals."

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Mr Sewell said the donated money was kept "under lock and key" in one of the cabinets - and suspects the thief or thieves searched the building for the key.

Police have said the window was forced open, with the culprit likely using an object to prise the seal from the window frame, leaving them able to reach in and open the latch.

"The rubber seal has been damaged - I think they may have used a piece of metal.

"The police say these were people who knew what they were doing."

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Mr Sewell said this is not the first time in 2015 the centre has been targeted.

Earlier in the year, a person attempted to break in and triggered the burglar alarm, while another raided one of the storage units, making off with three bags of animal feed.

He said the thefts were "disappointing" for the centre, already cash-strapped after an investigation into the employment of former manager Lloyd Warren.

Donations and bequests dropped dramatically throughout 2014.

"Our finances took a hit.

"We're not a rich centre anyway - we're not Wellington or Auckland which has the large numbers of donations, so it's been difficult."

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This year, with new front desk staff and a new committee, Mr Sewell said the centre's fortunes were changing, with fundraising efforts bringing in $8000 as of January.

He encouraged anyone who had seen anything suspicious, either at the Children's Day event or on Sunday night, to contact the police.

The centre is also accepting donations to replace the stolen money.

"If you did steal the money, do the right thing and hand it in.

"It's for our animals - that's the only reason any of us are here."

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