By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
LORRAINE Laughton was unbowed after being cruelly robbed of her handbag and her car while collecting for the Anzac Appeal at Endeavour Hills shopping centre.
Dandenong-Cranbourne RSL president John Wells summed it up perfectly, describing the thefts on April 20 between 3-4pm as “bloody disgraceful”.
But Ms Laughton was back behind the collection table the next day , helping raise $5000 in five days for the RSL sub-branch’s welfare arm.
“I didn’t even consider not coming back. The car and the bag were gone so what could I do about it? I got on with the job.”
Ms Laughton had not been since moved to tears of self-pity over the callous thefts — but what broke her up was the kindness of a stranger, who bought her a Powerball ticket on Wednesday after hearing her plight. The same person had also earlier brought back the correct change for an Anzac Day badge after being over compensated $10 by Ms Laughton.
“I said to her, ‘You’ve restored my faith in human beings’,” Ms Laughton said.
The long-serving volunteer at Dandenong Hospital and the RSL sub-branch couldn’t believe her handbag was swiped from beneath her feet as she sat alongside fellow tin-rattler Mary Johnson.
The thief, not satisfied with a large quantity of cash, also drove off with Ms Laughton’s 2007 silver Corolla — a car she had only owned for eight months.
The insured car was used in a petrol drive-off at a Rosebud 7-Eleven at 3.56am on April 21, but at the time of publication had not been seen since.
The shopping centre’s multitude of security cameras were unable to detect the crimes.
Her husband John Laughton changed the locks at their Narre Warren house and their other car that day.
Of his wife’s reaction, he said: “She doesn’t give up. We’re not going to stop doing what we’re doing.”
Mr Wells said he would be delighted if the culprits returned the handbag, its contents and car to the RSL sub-branch.
Ms Laughton wasn’t hopeful of a happy resolution on that score. “But wouldn’t it be great if I won at Powerball?”
Anyone with information about the incident can
call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or wisit crimestoppers.com.au.
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