POLICE and the Toolangi community have thanked the public and the media for helping recover a hand-crafted timber bench stolen from the recently opened Tall Trees Trail.
The bench, built by local craftsman Jack Walhout, was dedicated to Kate Ansett and Steve Fisher who died on Black Saturday at their Toolangi home.
The bench was reported as stolen to Kinglake Police on Tuesday, 27 November by the Trail Committee who also appealed to the media for help in tracking it down.
Leading Senior Constable Ron Brown and Senior Constable Mark Williams found the bench at a house in Coldstream on Friday afternoon following numerous calls from the public.
Spokesperson for the Trail Committee Steve Meacher said they were thrilled to have the bench back so quickly.
“We are very grateful to the police for their investigation, to the members of the broader community, and of course to the media, who enabled us to track it down,” he said.
Mr Meacher said while the bench was not as yet marked as a memorial, it was obvious it was a community facility on the trail for community use.
“These things are not there for anyone to just come and help themselves to,” he said.
A 25-year-old Coldstream man and a Mt Evelyn man in his 20s are assisting police with their enquiries.
