Fundraiser launched for Heather Ferguson after car stolen, torched in Hunter Region

A single mother sheltering inside as storms raged across the Hunter has been left shattered after thieves made off with the keys to her pride and joy – later torching it at a local park.

A Port Stephens single mum with no insurance has had her car stolen, ditched and torched during last week's storms. Picture: GoFundMe / Supplied.

A single mother sheltering inside as storms raged across the Hunter at the weekend has been left shattered after thieves made off with the keys to her pride and joy – later torching it at a local park.

Less than 24 hours later after a desperate search, Heather Ferguson was utterly “destroyed” and “collapsed to the ground in tears” to find her Toyota burnt out in a park in Raymond Terrace.

“It was pretty much all I own,” the 32-year-old single mum of three said.

Her friend and former boss Kylie Hill said Ms Ferguson had worked back-to-back night shifts at The Clare Castle Hotel to save up for the car.

Heather Ferguson with her pride and joy stolen and found burnt out at Boomerang Park on Sunday, January 19.

“I made her my second in charge and she was always able to fill in for me and it was never a drama,” Ms Hill said.

“She worked so hard to get the funds together for that car.”

Storms had cut power to large parts of the Hunter Region over the weekend and around 2.30am on Saturday, Ms Ferguson was woken to the sound of her uninsured car being driven out of the driveway.

“I chased it down the street but it sped off.”

Heather Ferguson with her son Hudson who is her youngest child.

She called a friend and they searched until the early hours of Sunday morning, combing the streets and posting pleas on local community Facebook pages to look out for it.

“We drove around looking up and down every street. I was just beside myself and just praying to God they were just joy-riding and had left it somewhere.”

At about 6am she returned home to get some sleep then got a lift to work at the Lemon Tree Passage Bowling Club.

It was there she received a call saying the charred wreck of her 2015 Toyota Rav 4 had been located at Boomerang Park.

A single Port Stephens mum with no insurance has had her car stolen, ditched and torched during last week's storms. Picture: GoFundMe / Supplied.

“I needed to see it for myself. Seeing my car completely turned to ash destroyed me and I fell to the ground and balled my eyes out.

After seeing her friend’s utter devastation, Ms Hill has established a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help replace the car.

“She needs one to get to work and take her children to school - it’s not easy being a single mum,” Ms Hill said.

“I thought it was the least I could do to just try and give her a head start.”

Close to $2,000 has already been raised and Ms Ferguson has been humbled by people’s response.

“I can’t believe how generous everyone has been. I’d be happy with people just sharing it.”

She has also thanked her employers at the Lemon Tree Passage Bowling Club who have loaned her a car to get to work.

“They’ve been so kind.”

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