IT was a terrible end to what had been a lovely Mother's Day for Louise Kilpatrick.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The mother of five had enjoyed a family outing to the Mother's Day Classic only to return home and discover her son's locked-up bike and scooter stolen.
While the Queanbeyan woman and her children had been raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, someone had broken into their car port and taken their property.
Thieves had also cut the locks and chains on bikes belonging to neighbours up the road and stole them.
"It did put a dampener on the day, it's sad when your children are upset. Seamus was very disappointed and very upset. He can't go riding anymore," she said.
"Usually you find my kids and the kids up the road riding up the street, playing together. But there's not one out here today because their bikes are gone. It's so sad."
Miss Kilpatrick has lived in Broughton Place for two years and has had property stolen from her twice before.
"It's not just my house, it seems to be in the area. We used to keep our swing set and trampoline out the front. We can't now because they've been stolen," she said.
"It's getting to the point where you can't have anything around the street anymore. It's sad and it's wrong, it's the children's things that are getting taken."
Although the family had taken precautions by locking up their property and placing it away from public view, it has not deterred the thieves.
"Nothing's working," Miss Kilpatrick said.
"My older son now has his bike in his bedroom, near his bed. It's ridiculous that the kids have to sleep with bikes so that they can keep them safe."
The family has reported the incident to police. Miss Kilpatrick hopes they will be able to replace the stolen bike and scooter soon.
"My other son is currently being treated for cancer up at the Sydney Children's Hospital. All our savings go towards travelling up and down," Miss Kilpatrick said.
"It's horrible to say to your other children 'I'm sorry, you've got to wait until we can save up to buy you another bike', even though they've waited for a whole year to get one.
"What my children get, we really have to save hard for. For someone to pick it up and go, it's really awful."
Queanbeyan Police Inspector Neil Grey said police were investigating the matter. He reminded residents to secure their property after a similar incident on the weekend.
An unlocked scooter was stolen outside the Axis Youth Centre at about 5pm on Saturday, May 10.
Officers were able to quickly retrieve the scooter which had been a taken by another young person. They are pursuing legal proceedings.