Residents are outraged at an alleged break-in at a volunteer group's shed in Manilla.
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Manilla Vintage Machinery Group President Tim Scanlon told the Leader the alleged break-in left his group under-prepared for their annual rally to raise money for local causes.
"Some scumbag came in and stole our fridge, our gates, our signs, and our tables from out of our shed," Mr Scanlon said.
Other items missing include the group's fencing, hoses, and two portable gazebos.
Replacing the missing items has reduced the group's ability to donate proceeds from the recent Manilla Vintage Machinery Rally to local groups, including the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and the Manilla Preschool.
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Mr Scanlon estimated the items will cost about $5000 to replace.
"They took the Manilla Vintage Machinery Group sign off the gates, for Christ's sake you wouldn't know why anyone would want to do that," he said.
The alleged break-in occurred several months ago and a police report was made at the time, but the group didn't notice the extent of how many items were missing until they were needed for the recent machinery rally.
"We didn't know the fridge was missing until Friday when the CWA wanted to borrow it off us and we didn't have it," Mr Scanlon said.
He said the alleged theft likely took more than a few days, as it seemed someone had been using the group's shed for a while without them knowing.
"This person who had gotten into our shed had stolen a box trailer off someone else and kept it in our shed. We didn't notice because we lock it up and the only time we go in there is around our rally time," Mr Scanlon said.
He said the box trailer has since been returned to its rightful owner, but the alleged thief remains at large.
"As far as I know, they may still be part of our community, and they did that to us. I can't believe it," Mr Scanlon said.
He also said the group of machinery enthusiasts will have to invest in better security for their shed, something he never thought would be necessary.
"We're going to have to do something so this doesn't happen again otherwise it's just going to break our little club," Mr Scanlon said.
However, the group was still able to pull together for one of its best machinery rallies yet, a feat Mr Scanlon credits to the hard work of the group's volunteers and the support of the Manilla community.
"It's a shame you've got people around doing these sorts of things when we're only a charitable group trying to help the community out," he said.
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