Beloved golden buddha statue pinched from Leopold front garden
An elderly Leopold couple have been left devastated after their beloved golden buddha, which weighs 40kg, was pinched from their front garden on Sunday night.
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An elderly Leopold couple have been left devastated after their beloved golden buddha was pinched from their front garden.
Dresley Robins said the golden praying buddha statue, which weighed about 40kg and was almost 45cm in height, was stolen from her Dorothy St home sometime on Sunday evening or in the early hours on Monday morning.
It is believed the statue cost about $180.
“We’re really disappointed and really sad,” Mrs Robins said.
“We didn’t have a great deal of faith in humanity as it was, but this has really shattered what we had left.”
Mrs Robins, who has owned the buddha for more than 12 years, recently restored the statue with her husband Bruce.
“The paint deteriorated so we recently sprayed it with bright gold paint,” she said.
“It brings people a lot of joy.
“A lot of little kids love it … they walk past, look for it and give it a pat.”
Mrs Robins hopes the buddha, known to bring good fortune to those who treasure it, will bring bad luck to the individuals responsible for stealing the statue.
“Without trying to be mean, we hope so because it meant a lot to us,” she said.
“We would really appreciate it being given back, otherwise we will need to try and replace it with another one (which) we will anchor permanently so it can’t be removed.”
Mrs Robins also has a number of other small ornaments around her garden including ceramic animals, which are glued to stones.
She urged those who took the buddha to return him as it was the “right thing to do”.
“Be honest and return him to his position in our garden,” Mrs Robins said.
“By doing so, you will show that you not only have some respect for others but more importantly, respect for yourself.”
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Originally published as Beloved golden buddha statue pinched from Leopold front garden
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