Medal detectors turn up gold for veteran

By Shaun Inguanzo
A DANDENONG armed robbery has inadvertently led police to uncover stolen war medals and return them to their rightful owner.
Dingley resident Jim Dunn, 81, was last week reunited with his collection of World War I and II medals after Frankston Embona Taskforce police arrested a 31-year-old Dandenong man in relation to an armed robbery that occurred on Thursday 31 May.
The robbery happened at Stefanovic Jewellers in Walker Street, Dandenong.
Police found the medals after searching the 31-year-old’s car, and after much detective work found their owner.
A quick phone call from police to Mr Dunn quickly confirmed he was the rightful owner.
Detective Senior Constable Craig Small presented Mr Dunn with the medals last Friday at a press conference to celebrate the unusual find.
Det Sen Const Small said the Embona team was delighted to have reunited the war vet with his medals.
“When we informed Mr Dunn of the situation he was over the moon to be finally getting his medals back,” he said.
“He said to us ‘you bloody beauty’ and was thrilled by the news.”
Colleague Detective Senior Constable Mark Fitt said the medals possessed such sentimental value to Mr Dunn.
“This was obviously a phone call that Mr Dunn was not expecting to get, considering that the medals had been missing for so long,” he said.
Mr Dunn said the medals belonged to both himself and his late father Cecil, who was among the first ANZACs to land in Gallipoli during World War I.
He said he had given up all hope of ever finding them again.
“Everywhere I went I would always go into Cash Converters stores and other pawn shops to see if they had my medals,” Mr Dunn said.
“I really didn’t think I would see them again and I could not believe it when the police rang me and said they had found them. They (the police) have been marvellous. I did not think they would bother with small things like this as I thought they would be too busy concentrating on bigger investigations.”
Mr Dunn now plans on taking part in next year’s ANZAC Day march for the first time in his life, with two of his five grandchildren keen to wear the medals.
Police have remanded the 31-year-old Dandenong man in custody and charged him with armed robbery and handling stolen goods.
He will appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 28 August.