The stolen gear where it was dumped behind an unoccupied farmhouse on the outskirts of Hamilton. Photo / Supplied
The stolen gear where it was dumped behind an unoccupied farmhouse on the outskirts of Hamilton. Photo / Supplied
After a decade of making music, friends and fans, Hamilton band The Monroes came close to calling it quits when their instruments and equipment - all $100,000 worth - was stolen in a brazen burglary two weeks ago.
Now, thanks to an amazing set of events, including an eagle-eyed Waikato farmer, the power of the media, and the reach of the internet, they have it all back unscathed and will play a free concert in Hamilton Gardens to thank the thousands who played a part in its recovery.
Road cases containing the gear, and speakers were spotted in long grass behind an unoccupied farmhouse on the outskirts of Hamilton by a neighbouring farmer moving his cows on Thursday morning.
The Monroes will do a free show in Hamilton to thank everyone who helped in tracking down their stolen equipment. Photo / Supplied
He knew immediately what they were. He was just one of the more 12,000 people across the Waikato who shared the band's desperate plea for information after reading news of the theft.
"We're on top of the world - as you would expect," Layton Lillas, a member of the corporate function band told Waikato News after visiting the farmhouse with police to identify the equipment.
"We are counting our blessings and it has certainly been one of the more memorable days of our lives," he said.
After a tough year in the entertainment business, band member Brad Thomson had put the equipment in storage at Christmas at a professional facility on Te Rapa Straight, Hamilton while he and wife Nicola (the band's singer) rented their home as Airbnb accommodation to supplement their income.
The gear was in a white tandem custom-made trailer, secured with a wheel lock and a deadbolt. The thief or thieves cut through a high security fence from a neighbouring property, under cover of darkness and bad weather early on the morning of Wednesday January 20.
The gear is at the highest end of professional music equipment - some of it so rare in New Zealand that it would be instantly recognisable if the thieves tried to sell it or anyone used it in public.
This, plus the wide media attention, and social media shares made the gear too hot for the thieves to handle, Layton believes.
"It is utterly incredible when you think of the tentacles, the reach of how far it has gone. Our thanks to you and your readers for doing your part; the combined heat we have put on this has given us this result."
He said the turning point probably came on Wednesday when the band released CCTV footage, supplied following their appeal.
"We now had photos of the vehicle towing our trailer away.
"I think that is what did it, put the fear up whoever had it and they just wanted to get rid of the music equipment."
The band equipment was in this white tandem custom-made trailer that has yet to be found. Photo / Supplied
The next morning was when the farmer spotted it. Layton suspects the thieves may have wanted just the trailer, it is still missing (registration number K942W). He reckons the thieves may have been familiar with the unoccupied house and left the gear there.
"It was out in the open in a bunch of long grass behind this house; it didn't look like they had spitefully dumped it, nothing's been damaged. There was no dead grass, no denting of the grass under the equipment. I suspect it was taken there overnight and was found literally a couple of hours later," Layton said.
Singer Nicola was the first to get the call it was found. Word soon spread and many were trying to phone Layton to share the good news. By chance Layton, whose core business is concert promoting, was on a phone call with Pauline, the widow of Gerry Marsden, leader of the British band Gerry and the Pacemakers, who died on January 3.
"I was good friends with Gerry, I hadn't been able to have a chat with Pauline since his passing; so, the phone calls kept coming and I was ignoring them, unfortunately," Layton said.
"When they finally got through, I had a Facetime with Brad and Nicola and they were saying 'look at this, look at this', it was just all lying there: it was an incredible feeling.
"It looked to me like the burglars had placed it for us to find it - perhaps they did have a conscience. If that's what they did then all well and good and we just have to let the police do whatever they do from here on."
He said police spent a lot of time at the house looking for evidence but as far as he knew no arrests had been made.
"It looked like a squatter place and was known to neighbours as a place people do come to from time to time."
Layton said that earlier this week, The Monroes had been thinking of how to move forward although nothing had been decided about disbanding.
"It got very close, we were trying to stay positive but we thought we'll borrow some equipment and finish what we have in the diary.
"Now everyone's got the bit between their teeth, and can't wait to get back out and play again. It was an amazing set of events where I think people genuinely felt for our situation.
"We are humbled by the support, by doing this free show hopefully something good comes out of it.
"I mean, the amount of people that have helped us, trying to help the investigators find these people - it's been amazing."
The show will be on the Lake Stage at Hamilton Gardens. A date is yet to be fixed but it will be on a Sunday within the next month and will be a family show during the day.
