Thieves target tradie’s dream

A window washer working to get a new business established is devastated thieves have taken his van and washing gear. Carl Smith, 35, works in security and has been building up a side business as a commercial window washer. He hopes one day it will help him save enough for a house deposit. On Sunday, he woke early for a job, but found the spot where he parked his van on Highbury Ave empty. ‘‘I just feel burnt. I was quite devastated for the whole day. Last night I couldn’t sleep. It’s amazing how much impact it can have on you,’’ Smith said. The theft means talks with a potential new client have foundered, and he is struggling to get new gear to cover his existing jobs and make do without his van until it can be replaced. The van was insured, but because his washing equipment was for a business, it was not covered under his contract, he said. He estimates it could cost $1500 to $2000 to replace it when he counts up all the buckets, long poles, road cones and high-visibility and safety gear he invested in. The items were not likely to be much use for anyone else, but it would be difficult to come up with the money to suddenly replace them, he said. ‘‘My goal was to get the cones and the stuff, and get started from the van. I’m trying to get somewhere and trying to get enough money to get my own place.’’ He is determined, but said new businesses were vulnerable to setbacks in their early phases. ‘‘I tried to drive around and look for [the van], but it’s like a needle in a haystack. I’ll probably have to use loan money. I don’t want to let anyone down, but without a van at the moment I’ve got to wait for that [insurance] process too.’’ Police did not respond to questions about such trends. Smith hopes people can look out for his van, a blue 1993 Nissan Homy with the licence plate YX4173. He plans to install a GPS tracking device in his replacement vehicle.