‘Cold, heartless’ vandals ransack Cypress Gardens home of man with terminal cancer diagnosis

A family coming to terms with their patriarch’s terminal cancer diagnosis has been left shattered after their farmhouse near Millmerran was burgled and trashed by thieves.

The country farmhouse near Millmerran belonging to Jennifer and Geoff Gow (left), after it was trashed by heartless thieves.

Jennifer Gow is supposed to be focusing on making the final months of her beloved husband Geoff’s life as comfortable as possible.

Instead she’s been left devastated after heartless thieves broke into the couple’s farmhouse and took what they could before ransacking the entire property.

“Everything was gone, and they just really trashed the place completely,” Mrs Gow said, overcome with emotion.

“They even took my front door.

“My friend sent me one photo and it showed the (living room) cabinet outside the house and in half.”

After discovering in March he had a terminal lung cancer, Mrs Gow moved the family from their home at Cypress Gardens near Millmerran to a rental property costing $450 a week in Toowoomba to be closer to health services.

“It was so hard to find a rental if you don’t have a rental history, even though I own my home,” she said.

“It’s $430 per week and $20 extra for water, and I’m locked in to a 15 month lease, and it was the only place I could get.

“I had friends looking after the farm for me every few days.”

Jennifer Gow pictured with her grandson Henry Johnson. Jennifer's home was ransacked by thieves. Picture: Nev Madsen.

While preparing the family for a trip to SeaWorld on Monday to honour Mr Gow’s dying wish to see the ocean, paid for generously by a family friend, Mrs Gow received the phone call that her home had been burgled, vandalised and trashed.

Along with stealing large items like water tanks and horse floats, the vandals also appear to have stolen any valuables inside the house before emptying garbage bags across the house.

“I just broke down, I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

“I’m happy to give anybody anything – come and ask me and I’ll help you out.

“That wasn’t enough apparently – they decided they needed to take everything.”

Mrs Gow said she hadn’t told her husband about the burglary and was yet to drive out and see it for herself, saying she was too focused on taking care of Geoff during a period when his mental faculties were deteriorating.

“He’s got lung cancer that’s metastasised in his brain,” she said.

“It’s pretty severe and pretty fast-acting, I now find out.”

Jennifer and Geoff Gow's country farmhouse near Millmerran, after it was trashed by heartless thieves.

Shontelle Parras, who had been checking in on the property and discovered the destruction, said it had occurred either on Saturday night or at some point on Sunday.

“They took things like water tanks, horse floats were missing,” she said.

“Everything else that was there they’ve either destroyed or taken it.

“They’ve grabbed bags of rubbish and spread them, tried to take out her massive collection of books and smashed it.

“They’ve taken her windows, her fire stove from her kitchen.”

Ms Parras said she couldn’t believe anyone would stoop to robbing and vandalising a home of any family, let along one going through a terminal cancer diagnosis.

“You would have to be a pig, an absolute pig — they don’t care, they do not care,” she said.

“They’ve destroyed 25 years worth of a life.

“I’ve tried to grab some tables and photo frames but there isn’t much.

“It’s absolutely heartless, cold and callous.”

Due to circumstances with the family, the crime had not been reported to police at the time of publication.

Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity on Wallaby Drive at Cypress Gardens between 5pm on Saturday and 8pm on Monday should ring Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or PoliceLink on 131 444.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support the family. To donate, head to the website.