A white knight has come to the aid of a devastated Junee grandmother and granddaughter who fell prey to mindless vandalism last month.
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Lou Stapleton’s granddaughter, who the family has requested remain anonymous, had her beloved dollhouse smashed to pieces by heartless intruders last month.
Last week Mrs Stapleton told the Junee Southern Cross the most devastating part of the ordeal was watching her granddaughter put on a brave face and repeatedly attempt to fix what remained of her favorite toy, saying “I fix it Nanny, I fix it”.
But within 24 hours of her account of the event appearing in the Junee Southern Cross, Mrs Stapleton was stunned to receive a mysterious email from Europe.
It was from Simon van Dijk, writing from the Amsterdam offices of global toy manufacturer KidKraft.
He was getting in touch to offer the proud grandmother a new doll house free of charge.
Surprised to receive a message from Europe, Mrs Stapleton thought it might be a scam.
But after doing some background research and confirming the legitimacy of Mr van Dijk’s offer, she was beside herself with excitement.
“I was so overwhelmed when Simon contacted me, I can’t even think of the word to describe it,” Mrs Stapleton said.
“It really has restored my faith in humanity, there are some amazing people out there.”
Mrs Stapleton, who had conceded she would not be able to replace the doll house any time soon, has since been preparing to surprise her granddaughter with its shiny new replacement.
“I intentionally haven’t told her about any of this yet,” she said.
“I just can’t wait to see the look on her face, just knowing how much she loved that doll house.”
Mr van Dijk, KidKraft business development manager, said he was heartbroken when he read about the family’s ordeal and sprung into action immediately, reaching out to Mrs Stapleton.
“I thought we must be able to do something to help that family,” Mr van Dijk said.
“I think everyone here would agree it was the least we could do.
“It was such a sad thing to read, but it does feel good to be able to give something back”.
Mrs Stapleton had previously called on those who broke into her home to replace the doll house, later admitting she could never have predicted that someone on the other side of the globe would step up to the plate instead.
“I can’t thank them enough for their generosity and the kind gesture,” she said.