While he was sleeping . . .
Getting around his undulating farm is hard enough for paraplegic Rob Forrest.
He depends on his customised quad bike to pull open the gates and move stock through the 25 acre plot inland from Raglan.
Now thanks to night-time thieves who crept on to his Waingaro Rd home and snatched the $17,000 machine from his locked workshop Forrest can’t make it to the letterbox unaided.
‘‘I’ve worked hard all my life to get this stuff, really struggled in the last 10 years, and now I’m really stuck in my wheelchair,’’ he said from his Waikato block.
‘‘It’s had a hell of an impact as I can’t get around the farm.’’
Ten years ago the now 58-yearold motorcycle mechanic and driving instructor was left paralysed in a farm accident.
He was out spraying gorse on the hillside when the brake line burst on his four-wheel drive.
‘‘I went very fast backwards down a hill, over a waterfall and was thrown out.’’
Forrest broke his neck. He also suffered collapsed lungs, shattered shoulder and broken arms.
‘‘Apparently I died.’’
He credits the Auckland-based Westpac Rescue helicopter crew who managed to revive him.
‘‘And the Waikato Hospital, I owe them too.’’
Getting back out on the farm after a lengthy recovery was ‘‘extremely difficult’’.
A year after the accident he purchased the 500cc 2009 Suzuki King Quad and had it custom modified.
Engineers installed brackets to hold his feet in place and a metal rod to stop his legs from burning on the engine.
A flip-down backrest keeps Forrest balanced and side plates allow him to glide from his chair into the seat.
Onboard there’s a fishing gaff and a reacher to open and close the farm gates.
‘‘I do the odd trail ride so I’ve got side mirrors on there too.’’
Forrest was asleep on Friday, March 16 when the young crooks dismantled the security light and broke through the side door.
They dragged the quad bike from the shed, and down the hill, taking his gumboots, helmet and newly purchased gloves with them.
It was 8.30 the next day when Forrest, headed to feed apples and bread to the sheep, made the discovery.
‘‘I’m usually a very light sleeper . . . it’s really got me beat.’’
‘‘I couldn’t believe someone had come up.’’
Burglars also stole his chainsaw and gas, items not easily replaced for a man on ACC, he says.
‘‘I’ve got the wheelchair with an extra wheel, but I’m having to rely on my son that’s home to let the sheep and cattle out.
‘‘I live right on top of the hill so everything is downhill from here.’’
Raglan police Constable Gary Ryburn said the burglary was one of two in the area over four days.
Another property about 20km from Forrest’s was targeted the Tuesday after.
Thieves stole the homeowner’s Honda TRX quad bike, riding it out towing the couple’s garden trailer with their son’s motorcycle inside.
‘‘It’s highly possible it’s the same group of offenders.’’
Road workers spotted a young male riding the quad towing a trailer on Hetherington Rd shortly after. A maroon colour hatchback followed closely behind.
‘‘These offenders were seen travelling back into Huntly West and identified the rider of the quad.’’ The garden trailer was found dumped on Harris St later that day.
‘‘There have been sightings of a similar quad bike in Huntly West.’’
Waingaro residents had reported a spike in suspicious activity in the rural community over previous weeks, Ryburn said.
He urged residents to be vigilant and ‘‘ramp up home security’’. Ensure quad bikes are inside locked sheds and don’t leave valuables outside, he recommended.
‘‘There have been reports of stock being stolen in the Te Akau and Waingaro areas. Be vigilant, write down regos – do the basics.
Police were following good lines of inquiry on the quad bike.
●➤ Anyone reporting suspicious activity can call 111. Those with information on the quad bike can contact Ryburn on gary.ryburn@police.govt.nz