Museum robbed of hero's plate

ALMOST 160 years after an Aboriginal man single-handedly saved the lives of 49 Gundagai residents during the 1852 floods, someone has stolen his breastplate.After Yarri took to his bark canoe and saved dozens from the rising waters of the Murrumbidgee River, he was presented with an ornamental metal breastplate and chain by the Horsley family.One of a kind, Yarri's breastplate has been on display in the Gundagai Museum since it was found near Cootamundra in 1990 -until now.Museum volunteers noticed the historic piece was missing from its place late last month, but cannot be sure how long it has been missing.What they are sure of is that the breastplate has fallen victim to foul play."It was in a glass case, it was screwed down, all the sliding doors were screwed down - it would take a little while to get it," volunteer Alan Worldon said.Mr Worldon believes the only way someone could have taken the relic would be if the museum attendant was distracted by another patron, because of the effort that would go into removing it from the case.Police have lifted a fingerprint from the glass of the cabinet.