Medals returned to family after 25 years

Photo credit: Jamila Toderas

The experience of being burgled is always difficult to deal with - even more so once you find out that items of precious sentimental value were stolen. This was most certainly the case for the Chittick family, whose Canberra home was broken into during the Christmas of 1993. David Chittick discovered that, along with other possessions, his father’s and great uncle’s military medals were among the irreplaceable losses incurred during the theft.

Imagine David’s surprise when Constable Matthew Johansen from the NSW Police contacted him with the news that the medals had been recovered during a search of a suspicious vehicle. David told the Canberra Times: “When we received the phone call we thought it was some sort of hoax. Mum was just so surprised it showed up... it was gone for so long, no one knew where they’d been”.

As for his part, Constable Johansen was modest about the outcome, reflecting upon the history behind the medals and their recipients:  “What those guys went through to be awarded those medals… I can’t even begin to imagine. I had a chance to repay their services by getting the medals back to the family”.

Unfortunately, the recovery rate of stolen medals is generally very small. Due to the high demand for military medals and the fact that they can be of great monetary value, they are often targeted during burglaries. It is therefore recommended that original medals are locked away in a safe, with replica medals being used for the purposes of display or wear on commemorative occasions such as Anzac Day.

The Military Shop is among the leading replica medal suppliers in Australia. We have helped thousands of customers to protect and preserve their family’s military heritage by supplying customised groups of high quality replica medals. Contact the Military Shop by visiting our website and completing a medal order form, https://www.militaryshop.com.au/features/medals.html