By Brendan Rees
A Narre Warren grandmother who purchased a gift for her daughter whose home burned down – has pleaded for its return after it was left behind at Fountain Gate.
Pam said the gift; an electric blanket which she had bought at Harris Scarfe was accidentally left behind near a bench outside Coles about 11.20am on Tuesday 7 May.
She said while she was shopping in Coles, her husband sat on a bench with the boxed blanket, worth $80, as well as a fold-up trolley containing shopping bags.
“I went quickly into Coles and did some shopping, come out, and while I was in Coles there was a spare big trolley,” she said.
Pam says they put all the bags and the fold-up trolley into the Coles trolley but “completely forgot about the blanket.”
“The three bags took up the whole of the trolley,” she added.
The pensioner said they walked off and got a taxi home about 11.50am.
It wasn’t until a couple of hours later she “realised what had happened.”
“It didn’t event twig that I didn’t have the blanket,” she said.
“I feel silly for doing that because I’m pretty on the ball.”
Pam, who asked not to publish her surname, said the electric blanket was intended as a gift for her daughter who “lost everything” after her home burned down following a fire last November.
It’s believed the fire started from a faulty electric blanket.
She called centre management, who told her they would contact security and look at the CCTV cameras.
“They didn’t get back to me,” she said.
“Even if they saw someone they’re not going to recognise them.
“It’s sad. I was trying to do a good thing for my daughter,” Pam added.
Pam said she thought someone may have picked the box up and brought it back “but obviously they didn’t.”
“I wonder if someone was watching us, I don’t know.”
Pam says she didn’t report the incident to police and ended up buying her daughter another electric blanket.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Fountain Gate shopping centre on 9704 6666.
