arpie Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) Hi guys Keith & I were looking forward to a pleasant weekend in the Hunter Valley - he was doing the 1/2 Marathon at Pokolbin, from the Gardens there. Arrived on Fri afternoon & set up our campsite at a Campground on the road to Pokolbin. yeah - Welcome to Cessnock! NOT!!! In the wee small hours of Sat morning, I am awoken to a boomin yell of "What are you doing? Get out of there!" 4am Pitch dark & I am like 'What the ..... what's happening?" "There are 2 men in our awning trying to get into our tent!!" I wish I'd been quick enough to put the headlights on & sit on the Horn!!! But no .... I say "Get out & check our gear" & Keith says (very smart, really, cos I would have gone!) "No way, they are still in the area." We wait a few minutes & then get out of the van to find all our food removed from the fridge & on the floor, outside the tent, in the awning. A quick scan of the fridge & the bastards had knicked our cooked lamb shanks (supposed to be dinner on Sat night) and a full pack of the best no fat bacon (my breakfast!) & other food stuffs. Outside our trailer, they had a bottle of our wine & large pack of grapes, ready to go, but when Keith yelled, they all scarpered. They'd also tried to get into our trailer where Keith's nice offroad bike & my fishing gear was! Luckily they didn't gain entry! Our elderly neighbours had their 'drinks fridge' nicked as well - poor buggers - the robbers had left behind the power cord/transformer ...... a fridge without power is just a box! The wife was returning from the loo when we were out looking for our food & other bits & quickly realised it was gone! Called the cops & they came over at about 5am. Later in the morning, as we checked with other campers, about 6 campsites had been done over, including car breakins, but mainly food & booze taken from 'outside' fridges (pretty common with campers.) The cops thought it was kids, but Keith thought they were bigger! Another neighbour later said that he had been awoken by some noise & then heard a lot of swearing (I said, that was probably me!!!) & torchlights flashing around (definitely me!) but didn't come out to investigate! Chicken! Our peace of mind for camping is now gone - I didn't sleep well at all on Sat & Sun night (am positively stuffed right now, as I type, about to fall asleep at any moment!) Just gutted that the mongrels were able to get into so many camps without detection - probably had a lot of practise! They even took 4 flouro tubes from the laundry! I am now searching for motion activated lights (possibly with an alarm) to put in our awning area, as well as getting a zippered 'closedown' front, as well as both sides that we already have. A real shame to go into 'lockdown' mode at night, but, what price for security? Thieving bastards!! Seems we're looking for a well lit house with well fed people on lamb shanks & bacon! My favourite bloody meal too!! :( They hit all the 'newcomers' to the camp, so I reckon it was either an inside job (quite a few 'live ins') or one of the houses across the road. The camp ground was 'last done over' about 6 months ago ..... they say! However, even given all the stuffups leading up to the race, Keith did really well in the 1/2 marathon yesterday, won his age group & came in the top 30% of the racers - came 120th out of 350 that finished! Quite a few drop outs from injury on the rough tracks. Not bad for the oldest in the race!!! I wasn't able to be down there to watch - somehow I damaged my back when getting ready to leave camp for the race & had to have assistance to get up from the seat to get to the bed after driving there!! I took a couple of voltaren & laid down for a couple of hours whilst Keith competed. I was miserable!!! Luckily, the voltaren helped & I was able to get up & join in the festivities & have made a full recovery! Not one of our more memorable weekends ........ however, we're ok & they didn't get into our trailer & take my fishing gear!!! I would have been ropeable if they had! Bastards!! Hope your weekend was better Cheerio Roberta Edited July 21, 2008 by Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatty hunter626 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 bloody bastards .........lucky you caught them when you did....... stuff like that just gets me so angry!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogtooth Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Sorry to hear the bad news.... It is a shame there are people out there that go to these levels . I always lock my esky and chain it to my bbq and gas bottle just to make it hard . Must robbieries at campsites are just alcohol so we always leave a bottle of jim beam filled with tea and you know what , out around our camp table and its supprising that it always gets taken. Hope your next camping trips are less stressfull.. Cheers Dogtooth John... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roosterman Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) roberta,thats surely is a rotten thing to have done to you... the material things are not the issue i think but the vulnerability and sleepless worrying that goes with it ... really sounds like it put a downer on what shoulda been a great trip with keith showing up the younger guys once again... gee i wish i was half as fit as him and im half his age .. you can get battery operated beam beepers from tandy's and the like for peace of mind... glad to hear yous are all right though... cheers....steve....... Edited July 21, 2008 by roosterman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double pluggers Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Sorry for your loss of peace of mind the bastards could have had the rest of the sheep but deserve 10 years for the lamb shanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr magoo Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Bastards hope you feel better soon ,maybe next year you could set a trap ,like impregnate some lambs shanks with wasabi and a bottle of plonk filled with some vile substance get well soon cheers arman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inhlanzi Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Gees Roberta Sorry to hear about your your experience. That kind of thing takes a bit out of you. Look after yourself. Get out there and do some fishing that will help clear the mind. Maybe we need to have a social up there and ...naaa let the Police deal with them. cheers inhlanzi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Hi Roberta I hope you quickly get over a nasty experience like that. It makes you wonder how anyone would be game enough to intrude on someone they don't know in the middle of the night, unless they are staying there just to sound out the place and see what they can steal while others are asleep. I hope you and Keith never have to suffer anything like that again. Byron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luderick59 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 sorry to hear the bad newsglad your both ok but it is still a scary thing to happen right under your nose maybe next time string some 50kg mono around awning with 10/0s every2ft that will catch them bastards peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 Hi guys Many thanks for your concern & suggestions - some terrific ones there, for future peace of mind! hehehe Peter - we have been thinking of that, too! Kieth put a couple of saucepans on the slab the next night, thinking that they may return, knowing that we had replenished the larder!! Arman - you & I must think alike ...... instead of tea, I was thinking of vinegar or something worse in the Jim Beam bottle! Great idea, Dogtooth! Inhlanzi - there are no rivers or sea at Cessnock .... only lots of vineyards! I bet they get knocked off often! Byron - when you see how small the campsites are - our 'kitchen' area was just 30cm from Keiths head .... he actually heard a bit of rustling but thought it may have been an animal, as we are often visited by possums & things when camping, so he didn't look out immediately! Hey Doubleplugger - guess what we had for dinner last night - YEAH!! Lamb shanks! YUM! Steve has put me onto a neat little alarm that you can set off manually from inside as well as activated from outside! Looks great, thanks STeve. A passive infrared camera may be the way to go, too - the cops need evidence that they have been inside. THere was a terrific set of fingerprints on the window of the car that was done over, but the cops didn't even look at them, as they were on the outside. Bet there were some inside too, but they didn't look there either! Anyone else that camps a lot may be interested in this alarm system too http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?I...mp;SUBCATID=421 Ah well, I guess the sleep will come back eventually (still didn't sleep well last night,) but a day out on the water with Wendy today should tire me out sufficiently for a better one tonight!!! Cheerio for now ROberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylo Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Bastards !! Sorry to hear Roberta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soft-on Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Sorry to hear that Roberta, I empathise for your ordeal, i have had that happen before they took a Shimano o/head & GPS. Karma will come back to them, don't worry. Dam about those Lamb Shanks though. Best Wishes to you & Keith in the future. Keep Safe Cam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdhz Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Sorry to hear such a lowly act happen to you Roberta, and thank God that no worse was done. We're all glad to hear your both doing ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkymalinky Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Hi Roberta, I'm so incredibly sorry you had that sort of experience on what was meant to be a fun weekend away. I'm afraid the sort of language that would best describe the people who did it would get me banned if I used it in a post. In summary, let me just say that if I ever see them on fire somewhere and I'm by some coincidence, desperate to find a loo... they won't be the beneficiaries of any mercy. It's a sad fact of life these days that the world is full of rat bags. I really miss the days when growing up in Tassie that we could go out and leave the house unlocked and windows open. Makes you want to drop out and become a hippie. At least you interrupted them before they got to any more of your gear Glad Keith did well though. You'll just need to get into your yak and take out your frustration on the local Blackies. Cheers, Slinky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Hi Roberta My initial reaction to your message was concern for you and Keith, followed very quickly by at the perpetrators! They don't seem to realise that the theft of your belongings pales to insignificance when compared to the emotional anquish suffered by people who have had their 'personal space' violated. A small consolation is that neither of you were injured. It will take some time, but you will rediscover the joys of camping again. Congratulations to Keith on a superb effort with the 1/2 marathon. A glimmer of sunshine for an otherwise forgettable holiday. Hodgey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterd Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Sorry to here that! Next time I go camping I will take my Rottweiller. He will not only eat the robbers but everything else that is not locked up. cheers peterd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 (edited) This morning, I contacted head office of Jaycar & they had just finished a sale of some of their products, including that caravan alarm, & was able to secure it for half price! $35 :) Gotta be happy with that! THey will post it to me from the Newcastle branch. Anyone violating our space again after lights out will get the shock of their lives! :) Many thanks Steve, for putting me onto that site so quickly! Check out: http://www.jaycar.com.au/desperationsale/ & click on Security section Anyone into camping a lot ( with annex off caravan or campervan), I would seriously suggest you look at something similar for peace of mind at night. Just gotta make sure we de-activate it before exiting the van in the morning or it could be us that gets the shock! It comes with 2 remotes, so we can do that from the comfort of our van. I guess we were also lucky that they didn't just trash stuff, too. We were lucky all up, really. Cheerio for now Roberta Edited July 23, 2008 by Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donjuarez Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yting Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 the bastards should be strung up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 (edited) ...... I am now officially banned from using the F word!......... hehehehe I think this might have been the word our neighbour heard shortly after Keith sent them packing!!! Numerous times, linked with 'bastards & a...holes' as well! Roberta Edited July 23, 2008 by Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamtime Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 ...... I am now officially banned from using the F word!......... hehehehe I think this might have been the word our neighbour heard shortly after Keith sent them packing!!! Numerous times, linked with 'bastards & a...holes' as well! Roberta I think maggots, cockroaches or faeces would be a more appropriate description Roberta. Sorry to hear of your distressing experience with these lowlife individuals who think that they have a greater need of your personal belongings than you do. Hope you clear your mind of these oxygen stealing, waste of skin skumbags real soon. Cheers Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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