Hands off our Santa

By Jade Lawton
Vandals stole an inflatable Santa from Steve and Mandy Sherwood’s front yard on Friday night, just one week after they put up their annual Christmas display.
Mrs Sherwood said she had installed a security camera to monitor the decorations after thieves took off with Santa last Christmas, but the cameras failed to deter the sneaky Santa-stealers this year.
“Last year they stole the same Santa, but my son found it about 200 metres down the road. We had to sew him up – he needed stitches because he was tied down and they literally pulled him from the ground,” she said.
“We’ve been looking (this year) but we can’t find him.”
Mrs Sherwood said the Santa was not overly expensive, but she was sick of vandals ruining the display.
“The Santa was about $40 but it’s not the value, it’s the fact they keep coming and wrecking things that don’t belong to them,” she said.
“They should go and wreck their own stuff.”
Mrs Sherwood said she and her husband spent about two weeks putting up their extensive Christmas display, but would now just decorate their backyard.
“It’s for the kids, my grandkids love seeing the lights, it makes them happy and gives a bit of Christmas spirit back to the community,” she said.
“But I have had enough and from now on the display will not be at the front of our home for all to enjoy, but out the back with the dog.”