The pile of 30 sleepers were placed just north of the trucking yard near the timber factory fence in readiness for their forthcoming working bee, starting on Saturday.

Early last Friday morning, 18 of the sleepers were stolen from the site.

Luckily for the Railway group, some of the sleepers were later found lying next to the Lowes Mount Road near Mutton Falls Road.

They had apparently fallen off the thief’s vehicle.

A member of OTHR driving by managed to pick up seven of the sleepers and stored them in a safe place.

Astonishingly, when he returned to rescue the remaining roadside sleepers, the thief had returned and had made off with them.

The thief’s brazen nature was even more apparent when the Oberon Review went to take a photograph of the remaining 12 sleepers, they had also been taken in a second raid sometime between Saturday night and Tuesday afternoon.

The sleepers had holes drilled in them so they could be secured by dog spikes when they were placed under the railway line.

They are also painted with a green stripe at one end for easy identification.

Members of the OTHR are disgusted that someone in

the district would stoop

so low as to steal sleepers

from a dedicated, volunteer

community group.

The group is in disbelief that people would steal from an organisation that worked hard to purchase the sleepers, which were to be used in Oberon’s largest community project.

“It is a low act hitting at the heart of Oberon’s great community spirit,” said Track Manager, Peter Culley.

This theft has been reported to the Oberon Police who are undertaking investigations into the incident.

Anyone who can assist with these investigations is asked to contact Oberon Police.