Welcome to The Northland Age

Seeing RED over rustlers - THURSDAY JULY 8, 2010

BRASSED OFF: Kaeo Rugby Club president Robbie Ball (left), shepherds Fred Guy and Kevin Robertson, with the remains of the club's flock of sheep in the background. Robbie has no doubt that the rustler(s) will, one way or another, be identified.

Crime and punishment is never far from the headlines these days, and Kaeo Rugby Club president Robbie Ball has some very strong views on that topic. Specifically he hankers for the return of the old-fashioned punishment that was once the lot of rustlers.
He doubted, earlier this week, that that would come to pass, but said he would be satisfied just knowing who it was who had been helping themselves to the rugby club's small flock of sheep, and seeing them get their just desserts.
Seven ewes, all of them in lamb, and even the solitary ram have been stolen over the last couple of months, the latest raid, last Friday night, prompting the club to offer a $100 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible.
"It's only a hundred bucks, I know," Robbie said, "but hopefully it'll be enough to encourage someone to come forward. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that there are people in this community who know who's responsible for this, and they really shouldn't need money to speak up, but if that's what it takes, so be it."
Plans were being made earlier this week to move the remaining ewes to a new, more secure location, but the damage had already be largely been done. The club uses the flock as an ongoing source of meat for the hosting of visitors, the seven unborn lambs that have disappeared over the past eight weeks representing a large chunk of the menu for 2011.
This was the first time rustlers had posed a problem in the 10 years that Robbie had been involved, and the cost to the club would be significant.
"The club makes a little bit of profit out of them, but mainly we keep the flock going for food," he said.
"Without the sheep it's going to be very expensive feeding two teams and their supporters every second weekend."
But while the loss of the sheep would cost the club financially, there was also an important principle at stake.
"It's the principle of somebody reaping the reward for the hard work that others do," Robbie said.
"If they really wanted a mutton they could come down here and work for it.
"We are a non-profit organisation, and we can't afford to have people ripping us off like this. We are a community organisation, and they are just ripping off the community."
Offal had been found a short distance from where the sheep had been grazing, so there was no doubt as to what had become of the stolen animals, and little doubt that those responsible were locals, or at least very familiar with the area.
Anyone who has any information is urged to contact Robbie at 405-0479 or (021) 912-2082, Adrian Bosch at 405-0106 or (021) 401-042, or the Kaeo police at 405-0147.