Elderly man steals Remembrance Day donations
An elderly thief has stolen hundreds of dollars from Remembrance Day charity tins in Melbourne.
The man, who uses the aid of a walking frame, capitalised on the generosity of locals by taking as much as $400 from charity tins in stores across the suburb of Lilydale.
It is believed the man walked into a bank, a newsagents and a podiatrist's office and stole the tins all on the same day.
The callous act has infuriated locals, as the money raised from the charity poppy sales were helping to fund the welfare of retired veterans.
“We had a younger veteran who is struggling so we’ve been paying his utility bills,” Bill Dobson of the Lilydale RSL said.
Chris Newell from the local RSL described the act as a “big kick in the guts”.
“All our veterans who know about this are disgusted at what’s happened.”
Anyone who has information on the suspected thief is urged to contact Crime Stoppers with more information.
Millions of Australians are due to gather and their local war memorials to commemorate Remembrance Day, to honour those who served and died in war.
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