If I regarded it as an uneasy melding of the idyllic and the criminal in a quiet, leafy corner of Hastings, imagine what store owners Derek and Emma Stannard thought.
At that time it was the second instance in a week their suburban store had been hit. Then, Saturday just gone, they were targeted again this time by six burglars all aged between 10 and 15. The stoic couple have hence been targeted three times in a fortnight.
I've lost count of the number of dairy and superette robberies I covered as a reporter. It seems if you work in the convenience store industry its inevitable that if you haven't been hit, prepare to be.
It'd be a stretch to say this is an industry under siege but from the Stannards point of view, I'd imagine its not much of a stretch.
It's heartening to see the local community rallying behind these two.
It's even more heartening that this couple has vowed to stay put in the face of an ongoing threat to their personal well-being and livelihood.
