Call for return of grave ornament
Itemstolenfromgrandmother’splot
A Thornhill man is calling for the safe return of a sentimental keepsake which was taken from his grandmother’s grave in Kippen.
Iain Berry and his family were upset after a small pewter bird which he purchased whilst on holiday in New Zealand went missing from the graveside at Kippen Cemetery.
Mr Berry’s grandmother, Katie Berry, is interred there. She passed away at the age of 88 in January, 2012 after suffering a stroke.
Mr Berry and his wife, Kirsten, purchased the decorative Kiwi bird whilst enjoying a break in New Zealand in 2016.
But when his parents made their monthly visit to the graveside they discovered that the memento was missing.
Mr Berry said: “I was saddened to hear that on their last visit, on what would have been my gran’s 94th birthday, that some lowlife had stolen the small pewter Kiwi bird which I had placed there after a visit to New Zealand in 2016.
“Both of my parents regularly renew the flowers on the grave and give it a general tidy up and instantly noticed it had disappeared.
“We carried out a search of the area in case it had been moved or knocked over by council employees, but it was nowhere to be seen.
“I know that the council cut the grass in the cemetery, but its the type of thing that if you ran over it you would definitely know about it.
“I bought two of them when we were on holiday. I have one at home and I put the other on the grave.
“The monetary value of the ornament was not great, only about £20, but the sentimental value was high in the respect that myself and my wife brought it all the way back from New Zealand, where my gran had relatives.
“I hope that whoever took it takes a long hard look at themselves and asks ‘what kind of person am I to carry out such a despicable needless theft?’.”
Mrs Berry is buried at the cemetery along with her husband, Anton Fipple, who was a German prisoner of war and passed away in 2008. Mrs Berry was from the Kippen area.
A spokesman for Stirling Council, who maintain the cemetery, said: “We are sorry to hear about Mr Berry’s family’s distress and sadly it is a reflection of the times we live in.
“The Cemeteries Service urges bereaved families and friends not to place any memorial items beyond flowers at their loved ones’ gravesides. Not only does this prevent the heartache of having an item of sentimental importance potentially stolen but it assists cemetery staff in maintaining the grounds.”
I hope whoever took it takes a long, hard look at themselves