‘Where’s the school bell gone?’
A historic bell that’s been used at a rural North Canterbury primary school for generations has been stolen in the night by a thief wearing gumboots.
Pupils at Clarkville Te Kura ki Waimātao School, on Heywards Rd near Kaiapoi, discovered the bell was missing when they tried to ring it at lunchtime on Friday.
Principal Kris Barrow said he checked security cameras after a pupil raised the alarm.
‘‘We’ve got the person leaving with our bell on camera. It was taken at 3.36am on Friday morning. It looked like a tall, younger person and they were wearing gumboots, so there’s always a chance that they live locally.
‘‘They were driving a white car – some staff members think it’s an Audi, but we’re not sure. It’s got a black stripe along the side. We tried zooming in on the licence plate, but our cameras aren’t sharp enough.’’
Barrow, who’s been the school principal for eight months, is offering $100 from his ‘‘own pocket’’ to the person who gives information that leads to the safe return of the bell.
‘‘I honestly don’t mind a hundred bucks of my own money if we got it back.
‘‘The children are absolutely gutted. It wasn’t just something
that they looked at; it was something that they still used.
‘‘That is our school bell. We ring it every day when the children come in. We’ve got about 190 children here, so ringing the bell is quite a fun thing to do.
‘‘I know it’s only a bell, but it’s something that has been here for a very long time and it’s
a shame that it potentially won’t be here any longer. We’ve contacted the scrap metal association and the police.’’
Barrow said the thief ‘‘belted’’ a security camera as they walked past, but the school was still able to retrieve the footage.
‘‘I’m really disappointed that members of society think that it’s OK to take things from a school.
‘‘They’re basically stealing from the children – they’re stealing from 5-year-olds and the joy that they got ringing the bell.’’
A police spokesperson said officers were assessing the case.