Stolen sign: $1000 reward paid

The return of the Whangarei RSA sign was met with joy.

A $1000 reward has been paid out to the group behind the safe return of a precious sign stolen from Whangarei Returned and Services Association.

Makayla Puru and two friends found the large kauri slab on a metal heap along the road to Dargaville on March 17, after it had gone missing in early February.

At the time RSA president Chris Harold said the theft struck at the very heart of the Whangarei RSA. The sign, engraved with the words "Lest We Forget", had greeted visitors to the Whangarei RSA Club on Rust Ave since it was bolted into place on November 11, 2001.

Mr Harold said it had now been bolted firmly back in place and members were grateful the sign has been returned in an undamaged condition.

The association had been in the throes of organising a replacement for the sign so it would be back in time for Anzac Day.

Miss Puru said she had not originally realised what the sign was, until a friend mentioned seeing the story in the media.