A grey nomad couple have been shattered after their beloved campervan was stolen and torched by vandals.
The white 1996 Hiace Toyota campervan was stolen from a Cairns unit complex and then found dumped in nearby parkland. It had been set alight.
A camper chair and a water canister is now all that remains of the pensioners’ ‘pride and joy’.
Roy Assan, 86, and Alma Vines, 80, had only recently added solar panels and new tyres to the $17,000 campervan.
“I just started crying,” Ms Vines told the Cairns Post. “We have worked hard all our lives and had finally reached a point where we could just step back and enjoy life … I’m just disgusted someone could do this.”
It is understood the offenders broke into the vehicle and found a spare set of keys in the glove box.
Ms Vines’ son, Russell McMurdo said the campervan was the couple’s only means of transport.
“This was their whole life, they loved it,” he told the Cairns Post. “I just want these low-lives to know what they’ve done.”
The couple will return to Brisbane next week to see if their insurance will cover the cost of the extensive damage to the campervan.
