by Linda McGrory
AN elderly Inishowen woman has appealed for the
return of a sentimental piece of gold stolen by
heartless burglars on Mother's Day.
The 81-year old's home in the Burt area was
ransacked when she was out enjoying lunch last
Sunday with her family between 1pm and 4pm.
Jewellery worth hundreds of euro was taken in the
raid. However, it was the theft of a 'one-off'
heirloom that has caused her most upset.
The item is a gold medal awarded to her aunt - a
young nurse from the Burnfoot area - by the then
Ulster Hospital in Belfast around the 1920s.
It is understood the medal was awarded by doctors in
recognition of the young woman's efficiency and
dedication to nursing.
The solid gold medal measures around 2 inches in
diameter and has the heads of two children embossed
on the front.
"This is a one-off item that can't be replaced,"
said the pensioner, who requested anonymity. "All
the other things you can go out an buy again but not
this." Her aunt died five years ago at the grand age
of 102, the medal having been in the family for well
over four decades.
Other items taken in the raid included a heavy
antique gate bracelet with padlock; a gate-style
necklace; one fine gold chain; a silver badge from
the Ballymagroarty Women's Institute; a gold cameo
brooch; a gold brooch with pearls; an antique gold
brooch with purple stones and a purse with Sterling
change.
The raiders gained entry by busting a five-lever
lock on the back door, causing several hundred euro
worth of damage.
The widow, who has decreased mobility, explained how
the shock of the burglary was softened because her
son entered the house first.
"He sat me down and got me a cup of tea. They were
in every room of the house and even went into the
hotpress and freezer. They lifted up my mattress and
pulled out every drawer in the house.
"It is obvious they were only looking for money and
gold because they didn't touch anything else. They
turned out all my handbags but I didn't have any
money in the house. They didn't touch the
television, my mobile phone or any ornaments."
Meanwhile, the plucky pensioner is relieved she
hasn't been left too severely traumatised by the
incident but says it has left her wary.
"I'm very upset to think that these people were in
my home going through my personal belongings," she
added.
And she said the thieves used the occasion of
Mother's Day to strike.
"It was the ideal time to break into homes when many
people were out enjoying Mother's Day and they were
only looking for money and gold." Meanwhile, Gardai
confirmed there were a spate of daylight burglaries
on Mother's Day along the border including Carrigans,
Newtown, Lifford and Raphoe. Another incident in the
Burt area in which apparently sectarian slogans were
painted on a boundary wall is being treated as
criminal damage. Anyone who is offered gold for
sale, particularly a unique nurse's medal, in
suspicious circumstances or who has information on
either of the Burt incidents is asked to contact
Burnfoot Garda Station on 07493 68105. |
