A Brisbane woman has been reunited with her great-uncle’s precious World War I medals, almost nine years after they were stolen from her Eight Mile Plains home.
Annemarie Campbell was overcome with emotion as police returned the irreplaceable family heirlooms in a heartfelt handover.
“I’m overcome. I never ever thought I’d ever see these again at all,” Campbell said through tears. “And to be able to show them to my grandchildren now.”
The medals, which belonged to her great-uncle Cecil, were stolen during a break-in at her home in 2017.
“My heart went out to her at the time just to see the damage that had been wrought, not just in material terms, but to memories,” Acting Sergeant Michael Mayrseidl said.
While some of the stolen belongings were eventually returned, the whereabouts of the medals remained a mystery for years.
The breakthrough came when Campbell’s son recently spotted the medals listed for auction online. Police immediately stepped in to recover them.
“If it had been a week later, they’d be gone,” Campbell said. “What can you say about these people? They’re angels.”
“Yeah, I just burst into tears. And I think he might have had a few tears too,” she said of the emotional reunion with police.
While the medals themselves are only worth a few hundred dollars online, to Campbell and her family, they’re invaluable symbols of service and family heritage.
