‘Mongrels’: Meet Joy Cunningham, 95, the latest victim of Moree’s crime scourge

Joy Cunningham has lived in Moree her whole life. As youth crime spun out of control, she moved to an aged care facility, admitting she was “scared”. Last weekend, her family home was burnt to the ground.

Joy Cunningham was born in Moree and has lived there her whole life. All 95 years.

But as the youth crime crisis reached out-of-control levels last year, she moved into an aged care facility — admitting to her family says was “scared” to live in the town her family says is “in her blood”.

It is lucky she did, because on the weekend, Ms Cunningham’s home was burnt to the ground.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a cross word come out of Joy’s mouth … (but) she used the words ‘mongrels’ a few times on Sunday when we had to break the news to her,” her relative Kate Warby told The Daily Telegraph.

Moree resident Joy Cunningham, 95, who has lived in town all her life, had her home burnt down last week as part of a crime spree. Picture: Supplied

Joy’s home on Auburn St was burnt to the ground, with police launching an investigation. Picture: Facebook

“She did say to us that before she moved out she was starting to get scared for the first time in her life.

“Moree is in her blood. It was just heartbreaking to have to deliver that news to her.

“We are just glad she wasn’t in there at the time, because she wouldn’t have survived.”

Joy has seen Moree in its glory days, but right now, it is a town in the grips of a crime crisis that will not go away.

NSW Police have long had their work cut out in Moree, leading Premier Chris Minns to visit the town on a number of occasions, including in early 2024 to announce a $13.4 million package to try and fix the problem.

But almost 12 months on, the successful tenderer for the new $8.75 million bail accommodation service – one of the leading elements of the Minns government’s response – has only just been chosen in recent weeks.

Joy with young relatives Alexandra and Eliza Warby. Picture: Supplied

The specific trial to fix the youth crime problem in Moree followed the government introducing tougher bail laws for repeat offenders.

New data released by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) earlier this week revealed that since those law changes, there has been a dramatic jump in young people in custody.

In the past 12 months, the number of youths put behind bars has jumped by 32 per cent – an increase BOCSAR says is directly linked to the new youth bail law changes and a rise in bail refusal from 13.7 per cent in 2023 to 15.2 per cent in 2024.

Ms Warby said she feared for the future of Australia’s country towns when longtime residents like Joy now no longer want to live there.

“No one should be scared in their own home … I just worry we won’t have rural communities in three, five or ten years,” Ms Warby said.

“Joy has never lived anywhere else in Moree and never lived anywhere other than the house she was in.

“She has no children of her own, no siblings, and has dedicated 95 years of her life to Moree and this is how she’s repaid.”

A day before Joy’s home was burnt to the ground, a long-time local doctor had his nose broken in a violent home invasion.

All that is left of Joy’s former home. Picture: Facebook

Dr Nadaraj Ramsamy has helped the Moree community for close to two decades, but about 3.30am last Friday woke to find two hooded “young males” in his family home.

The males – whose ages are unknown – demanded Dr Ramsamy’s keys before throwing a dish drying rack from the kitchen at him which hit him in the face, and broke his nose.

The attackers then went outside and stole the family’s two cars, a Mercedes SUV and a Ford Territory 4WD.

Pius X, the business where Dr Ramsamy worked, posted on Facebook on Monday in the aftermath of the incident to say they would be forced to “reschedule appointments” for his patients.

That was followed by calls for a community meeting about the “recent events”, but Pius X did not respond to requests for comment.

Locals in Moree have also organised their own protest march about the youth crime problem for next weekend, with support from local councillors.

Police have run several large operations in recent years in a bid to break the back of the youth crime cycle.

Opposition police spokesperson Paul Toole said was no surprise there had been “no shifting of the dial” in terms the government’s ability to fix the youth crime issue.

“The government flew into Moree last year and they announced money for bail accommodation which hasn’t started, hasn’t been decided on, and so of course nothing has changed,” Mr Toole said.

“Announcements of money at the moment are just the government trying to look like they’re doing something, but they are only reactive, and not proactive, when it comes to addressing law and order in the state.

“There has been no shifting of the dial on the youth crime that is continually occurring on the ground.”