IT SEEMS hard to get a drink of water these days.
A burglar fled from a vacated, heavily fire-damaged home when police arrived, Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard last week.
He had scaled the home’s Cyclone security fencing, taken out a TV and collected a pile of copper wiring ripped out of the home.
The raider told police who arrested him several streets away that he had just been thirsty and looking to grab a drink of water.
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PUT this other burglar into the category of naive or stupid.
The thief allegedly stole car keys from an elderly resident’s home in a retirement village and then the resident’s car out of a locked garage.
All this happened while the old man was sleeping in bed.
Apparently the burglar, who was facing a lengthy jail term for aggravated burglary, struggled with the concept of ‘retirement village’.
In his own defence, he told police he had no idea his victim was elderly.
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TWO men’s confrontation at a Bunnings roundabout turned into a lengthy bun-fight in court.
According to one man’s version he had slowed down in his ute and trailer for a mum and her toddler near the crossing.
Then he’s been overtaken by a guy in a four-wheel drive who, in the process, scraped their vehicle on a median strip sign.
The first driver has then been blamed for side-swiping the four-wheel-drive and charged with leaving the scene of the accident without exchanging details.
“He started ranting and raving. I told him he was a bloody idiot,” the man told the court.
“There’s no way I’m going to give details to a guy like him.”
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CONGRATULATIONS to Inge Ferguson of Hampton Park and Betty Bassett of Dandenong North who were the lucky winners of the Journal’s Dandenong Show reader competition.
Inge and Betty both won a $150 voucher for Dandenong Market.
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Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams fessed up to her fear of carnival rides at the afternoon tea held to thank sponsors at the recent Dandenong Show.
“I’m terrified” of rides she told assembled guests.
Getting to his feet to accept a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Dandenong RSL, president John Wells had some advice for the MP.
“Gabrielle, I’d go on any of the rides. Those are the dangerous ones,” he warned, pointing out the window to the equestrian events taking place outside.
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Journal columnist Jack Johnson’s life has literally come full circle.
When Jack was born his parents rented a house in McCrae Street, Dandenong, and then attended St Mary’s Primary School with his brothers and sister.
Jack later raised five children with wife Frances in a home he built in McPhearson Street.
Until recently, Jack had left his beloved Dandenong to live with his son in Sherbrook.
Happily, Jack has now moved back to Dandenong, taking up a place at Southern Cross Care at 82 McCrae Street.
Jack reckons his bedroom at Southern Cross is roughly where his old St Mary’s Primary School stood.
