By George Bellinger
Shop owners on Gallery Walk were left shocked after a plant was stolen from outside their business on September 23.
Kenneth Veitch, who owns A Wee Bit o’ Scotland with his wife Laura, witnessed the incident take place outside their shop.
“I was serving someone behind the counter, and I saw a lady standing up and putting what looked like a flower in bag,” Kenneth explained.
“I went out when I could, and there was a hole in the ground where the plant had been, and she had walked away up the road.”
Laura said they have experienced issues with people taking cuttings in the past.
“We often find people sneakily taking little cuttings off the plants here, which we wouldn’t mind if they just ask,” she said.
“But to take a whole plant out the ground and leave an actual gap between other plants is an entirely different matter.”
She said that in preparation for Springtime on the Mountain, volunteers from the Tamborine Mountain Garden Club had revitalised the gardens along Gallery Walk.
Springtime on the Mountain is an annual event presented by the Garden Club on the last weekend of September.
“We supplied the plants and the compost, and then they came round and planted them for us, did a little weeding, and made it look lovely,” she said.
“We were so happy with that.”
The theft has left them re-considering the use of plants outside their business.
“It’s actually put me off replacing that plant, because I think, well, the same thing might happen again,” Kenneth explained.
He said that they were shocked by the disrespect shown toward a community initiative.
“We’re not being petty about it. We’re really not, but it’s one of those things,” he said.
“It’s just the principle of it. It was just so frustrating and so disappointing that it would happen on a lovely place like this, especially when the volunteers had given up their time to do that and to make the place look nice.”
