An outback musician and dedicated Northern Territory music school teacher has not only had her 1999 Toyota troop carrier stolen from a popular restaurant, but also her beloved 1935 Roth violin.
Gleny Rae has lived in Alice Springs for two years and is a regular on the music scene in Alice Springs and across Australia, recently appearing in the documentary I'm Wanita.
"I've just stopped into Simply Korean on Gap Road for a quick bite to eat with a friend between about 6:45 and 7:30pm," she said.
"When we came out there were three cars with their windows smashed. I was cleaning my friend's car and I was looking at that going 'oh no!'"
It was at that moment that Rae realised that her car had been stolen.
"That's the moment when your heart just about leaps out of your mouth and I can see the smashed glass where it was parked," she said.
Violin gone
Rae's prized possessions of a 1935 Roth violin and two bows were also in the car.
She is desperate for the instrument to be returned.
"I very rarely go anywhere without my violin and I left it in the car, in the back, out of sight," she said.
It is the sentimental worth that has Rae desperate to find the 87-year-old instrument.
"It's just a part of my body. It's an extension of me," she said.
"It was a violin that my mum bought for me when I was still at the [Sydney] Conservatorium High School."
Rae was 16 years old and was told that she needed a better violin.
"So off we went to the violin shop. And we chose that one," she said.
Rae is deeply upset that the violin might get damaged.
"I hear that when vehicles are stolen stuff gets thrown out of them," she said.
"It breaks my heart to think that it could be smashed or damaged for no reason."
Crime taking its toll
Rae's car window was also smashed several weeks ago outside a popular bar where she had been performing.
"You can't even go to dinner without feeling safe, or that your vehicle is safe," she said.
"And that's really sad."
She said that it is having a direct effect on lifestyles in the outback town and she has now questioned why she remains in Alice Springs.
"It's sad for all the businesses, it's sad for the residents," she said.
"It's sad for entertainers, because I know a lot of times people won't go out to gigs because they don't want to leave their car."
The violin case is blue canvas and the registration number for the vehicle is C35UL.
