Thieves steal pro-refugee banners from Mosman 88-year-old’s Spit Rd house

FRIENDS have given an 88-year-old Mosman resident a new banner welcoming asylum seekers after thieves cut down and stole the original banners from her home.

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TRESPASSERS have stolen two prominent pro-asylum seeker banners outside a Mosman home.

A black and white banner, six metres by one metre, declaring: “I am Ashamed of our Treatment of Refugees”, had been displayed against Gwyneth Crawford’s house since late 2014.

Mrs Crawford later installed a second banner which read: “Welcome Asylum Seekers People Just Like Us”.

Gwyneth Crawford with the cut strings left behind after trespassers stole her two pro-refugee banners which had been displayed against her Mosman house. Picture: Annika Enderborg

She said both were stolen about six weeks ago. Vandals had previously attacked at least one banner.

Mrs Crawford, who is almost 89, reported the theft to police and remains passionately against Australia’s offshore asylum-seeker detention facilities.

“It is indeed still an important issue, I don’t know why we can be so cruel,” she said.

The original banner outside the Mosman resident’s Spit Rd home in support of refugees, photographed in January 2015. Picture: Annika Enderborg

Mrs Crawford said she has received a lot of support and met many kind people through her decision to install the banners.

“I think I had only one letter that was against it and that was anonymous of course,” she said.

“Somebody from Canberra, who comes this way sometimes, sent me $20 towards another banner — wasn’t that nice?

“My age is important because there is a feeling that old people are very conservative.”

Mrs Crawford’s friends arrived with a new banner on Friday.

Mrs Crawford’s friend Fabia Claridge has had asylum seekers stay in her Castlecrag home. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

Refugee volunteer Fabia Claridge, of People Just Like Us, said Mrs Crawford was “very, very brave” for installing the banners and called for an end to the detention of asylum seekers.

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