Cate and Aaron Eathorne were visiting family along Burrendong Way at Christmas and brought two swags with them, one belonging to Mr Eathorne and a second belonging to the couple’s seven-year-old son, AJ. 

When the family arrived, Mr Eathorne had placed the swags on the car’s roof racks to reach other items in the boot.

“The next morning, we had to go to hospital suddenly to see Aaron’s grandmother and we jumped in and left and didn’t see them on there or think they were on the roof racks,” Mrs Eathorne said.

The swags fell off the car during the journey – Mrs Eathorne said a man in a white Toyota Hilux had been spotted collecting at least one of the swags.

Despite contact details on one of the swags, he did not contact the family.

The Eathornes also tried Orange Police Station, but the items had not been handed in and appeals on social media yielded no leads. 

“We walked up and down that road that many times,” Mrs Eathorne said.  

“Do you know how many green items there are on the side of the road? We kept saying, ‘that’s not it, that’s not it’.

“We were devastated, we hoped people would be honest and hand something in if it wasn’t theirs.”

Mrs Eathorne said her son’s swag was sentimental because his aunt had made it for him. 

“That was why we really wanted it back,” she said.

“We have a very sad child at home and we still haven’t actually told Aaron’s sister because she put so much work into it and she doesn’t have the machine anymore so it can’t be replaced.”

She appealed to whoever had the swags to hand them into police. 

Theft by finding is considered larceny under the NSW Crimes Act. 

Canobolas Local Area Command crime manager Detective Inspector Bruce Grassick said it was an offence if a person found an item and kept it for their own purposes without making an effort to return it.

“Especially if there’s personal details on the item,” he said.

“They can be charged.”

The Central Western Daily offers free classifieds for found items as a community service.

To book, call 6391 2900.