Countdown Regent manager Mark Kippenberger, Des Burke and Countdown Regent bakery manager Jody Crossley with 20 Christmas cakes. Photo / Supplied
Countdown Regent manager Mark Kippenberger, Des Burke and Countdown Regent bakery manager Jody Crossley with 20 Christmas cakes. Photo / Supplied
A spiteful cake heist has come to a happy ending after the Whangarei community stepped up to help out 95-year old Des Burke whose 18 Christmas cakes were stolen out of his car earlier this month.
Unknown thieves had stolen the Lions cakes from the boot of Burke's car parkedon his property a fortnight ago leaving the Whangarei man with no Christmas cakes to gift to charities from across town.
When Countdown Regent bakery manager Jody Crossley heard about the thievery via social media, she shared the story with her boss and asked whether they could help out.
Countdown Regent manager Mark Kippenberger said it was sad to hear how Burke has got ripped off and gave Crossley the green light to start baking.
"My bakery manager Jody Crossley told me about the story and asked whether we could replace those cakes," Kippenberger said.
Burke's daughter Robyn Webb said her father had been purchasing Lions Christmas cakes for 15 to 20 years to give them away to St John, the hospital and other organisations.
After he had bought his lot for this year's gift giving, he had stored them in the boot of his car after a day on the weekend.
When he went out to grab some groceries the following day, he noticed something wasn't quite right with the glovebox and the petrol cap being left open.
He checked his boot to discover that all of 18 Christmas cakes, worth $300, had been taken.
"My dad always backs his car into the carport so no one could have opened the boot," Webb said.
"They must have climbed over the backseat to get the cakes, and they are very heavy."
She said her father was rather taken back and couldn't explain how the thieves had gotten into his car.
A friend of Webb's, Wendy Giffin, shared the series of events on Facebook to alert the community of people who might want to re-sell the stolen Christmas cakes.
The post was then picked up by baker Jody Crossley, and a few days later, Crossley, Kippenberger and Giffin knocked on Burke's door to gift him 20 freshly baked Christmas cakes.
