Theft of Forestry Corporation equipment on Clean Up Australia Day

Forestry Corporation has recently been the victim of a spate of thefts involving roading machinery.

While helping remove wrecked cars from Kinross State Forest near Orange on ‘Clean Up Australia Day' (Sunday 3 March), a briefly unattended small tractor dozer was stripped of valuable spotlights.

Forestry Corporation forester John Whittall said the theft had taken place during the day.

“The dozer had deliberately been parked in a conspicuous spot to avoid this kind of thing,” he said.

“The fact that this happened while we were undertaking a very worthwhile community service is a real kick in the guts”.

Despite the theft, Forestry Corporation staff were able to collect 21 car bodies.

Another theft occurred recently on the weekend of 12 to13 February, when a thief attempted to steal a Forestry Corporation backhoe, parked for the weekend in Gurnang State Forest .

The thief broke in and drove off with the backhoe to a nearby property where it was parked underneath trees.

“Fortunately, the guilty party left behind tracks leading straight to the backhoe, so it was recovered fairly quickly,” Mr Damien Dubrowin, Forestry Corporation infrastructure forester for the Macquarie Region, said.

“It's really ridiculous, when these thieves steal from Forestry Corporation, they are really stealing from the people of NSW - regular taxpayers. The things that they steal are an expense for everyone - including their friends and their family.”

Could anyone with any information relating to thefts of Forestry Corporation equipment please contact the Orange Police on (02) 6361 5499 or Bathurst Police on (02) 63328699.

Media contact: Bob Aspden on (02) 6331 2044.