Kings Park, Perth
A pair of Irish backpackers who had their car and almost all their belongings stolen in Perth have had their trip saved after the local community came to the rescue.
Aidan Phelan, 29, and Claire Mullins, 27, had only been in the Western Australian capital for two days when disaster struck.
They had parked by Scarborough Beach to go for an afternoon surf. But when Aidan, a web designer, went to grab a rash vest from the Mitsubishi Verada only half an hour later, he found it was gone.
Inside the car had been their camera, all their photos, camping equipment, backpacks and all of their clothes. Desperate for help, the young couple, who had been working in Melbourne for a year, appealed to the local media.
The travellers from County Carlow were soon in two newspapers, several radio stations and even on Channel 10 News.
The reaction was both quick and heart-warming.
The car itself was soon found after it was recognised by somebody who had read about the couple’s story. Hidden in an underground car park just 500m from where it was stolen, most of Aidan’s clothes were still inside, although not much else.
But belongings aside, the local community came up trumps. The Irish backpackers, now happily driving north to Broome, were inundated with calls offering donations of clothes, camping equipment, and even to simply be taken out for a beer to show that “we’re not all like that”.
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