By JESSE GRAHAM
A HEALESVILLE man has been put on a good behaviour bond after stealing thousands of dollars worth of timber from the Yarra Valley Railway.
Healesville’s John Donkin was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond after a hearing at the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on 5 August.
Mr Donkin, 45, fronted the court to answer charges for stealing timber from one of the railway’s building sites on 17 December, to which he pleaded guilty.
He was caught red-handed on the day by police, loading the timber sections – which had been cut into pieces – into the back of a truck with a 45-year-old Mooroolbark man.
Yarra Valley Railway vice-president, Brett Whelan, said that because the timber had been cut up after it was stolen, it was worthless to the railway and had to be replaced.
He said the railway was left out-of-pocket, and that they would have to chase the cost of the timber – between $4000 and $5000 – through the courts.
“We’ve lost that funding – it’s $5000 that we haven’t got,” he said.
“We have some specialised areas that we’ve got to pay people to do, like the welding of structural steel, but every person you see working out there is a volunteer – so every cent makes a difference.”
He said the positive message from the experience was that people committing crimes would be caught.
“It’s very clear what’s happening now – if you steal from the railway, you will get caught,” he said.
“We’ve got people watching the railway and the corridor all of the time, and police are patrolling both station sites.”
Mr Whelan said two people were recently caught stealing steel from the railway, and that the organisation would prosecute any crimes to the full extent of the law.
