A MANDURAH mother has appealed to thieves who stole her son’s memorial from his grave on Christmas Eve to return the plaque.
Emma Clausen, whose 13-year-old son Mason died of leukaemia in 2013, said she was keeping her family's parenting payment as a reward for the return of the plaque, which was bought with money the boy had saved before he died.
Mason’s plaque was one of more than forty destroyed or stolen from Lakes Memorial Cemetery early Thursday morning.
“I feel like they've stolen a piece of my son; in my heart, they've stolen a piece of him because Mason paid for his own plaque,” she said.
“I'm a single mum on a parenting payment; I didn't have the funds to have a service, or pay for a plaque, but we had a savings account for Mason, and that's what we spent his last money on.”
She said Mason’s grandmother had discovered the plaque was missing on Christmas Eve when she had gone to put a Santa statue on his grave.
“Mum came racing to my house just an absolute hysterical mess, saying: 'Mason's plaque's gone missing, someone's stolen Mason's plaque',” Ms Clausen said.
“I've been on this emotional roller coaster ever since; I've been up, down, up, down, up, down.
“Yesterday I was just completely deflated, just so low, and I've woken up today again just so angry.”
Ms Clausen said she wanted the plaque returned and had kept a week’s parenting payment untouched as a reward.
“I haven't touched my parenting payment; I haven't been shopping; we've got bugger all food in the house – we'll survive – but I have to fight for my son's plaque,” she said.
“I'd like to say a lot of things to the person who has done this, but I don't think swearing and cursing at them is going to get me anywhere; all I want to say to them is you're welcome to steal from me – have my parenting payment, but Mason's plaque? I want it back.
“And I'm not going to give up, I'll keep fighting.”
Ms Clausen also said she was angry at the City of Mandurah for failing to properly secure the cemetery.
“Mason's plaque cost almost $4000 and it wasn’t even properly stuck down,” she said.
“We walked around on Christmas day and the back fence is still down, you can drive in over there from the back, and kangaroos have squashed the fence here.
“There needs to be a big fence and we need security to come out here and do drive-bys.”
Ms Clausen said she was grateful to the many people who shared her story on social media since Christmas Eve.
“I'm just so thankful that people are continuing to share my posts on Facebook to help me get Mason’s plaque back,” she said.
“I'm just so grateful to everyone; that keeps me lifted, it keeps me going.
“It's a blessing that there are still people around who still care.”
