The South Australian Precision Team is preparing to perform at the Belfast International Tattoo, a major event showcasing military bands and performance groups from across the globe.
The uniforms were stolen from the Greenacres property of the troupe’s director, Sheryl Bell, after a courier delivered the package.Â
“The courier unloaded the boxes and put them down the side of my house,” Bell said.Â
An hour later, the 35 personalised tracksuits worth $6000 had vanished.
“They’re no good to anybody else but our team, who have worked so hard to fundraise and to pay their fees to be able to fly over and perform in Belfast,” Ms Bell said.
It’s believed the thieves accessed the property along the fenceline of the Redward Avenue home, seemingly avoiding motion-detecting CCTV cameras. A rubbish bin was also stolen.
“It looks like they’ve loaded up the bins with all the uniforms and opened up the packaging and taken all the jackets and pants for the whole team,” said Bell.
The team is now appealing to the public for assistance to recover the uniforms. Police have been notified and are investigating.
It’s now a race against time for the troupe to secure new uniforms. The team has been told it will take at least eight weeks for them to be re-made, leaving a window of only a week before they take off for the UK.
