Renee Vervoort with her husband Levi Dihm and their |two-year-old daughter.
Camera IconRenee Vervoort with her husband Levi Dihm and their |two-year-old daughter. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Madora Bay family benefits from generosity of community

Rachel FennerMandurah Coastal Times

A MADORA Bay family thought they would be left to pick up the pieces and foot enormous bills after their car was stolen, then crashed, during a high-speed police chase last week.

Instead, Renee Vervoort (22) and her husband Levi Dihm (28) have been shocked by the generosity of the community.

“It’s such a horrible, bad thing that has happened, but it sheds a light on the good that’s around,” Ms Vervoort said.

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It makes you feel good in a whole different way.”

More than $3000 has been raised to buy a new car.

RELATED: Escapee arrested in South Lake after chase

In the meantime, Ms Vervoort is borrowing her father’s car to get to work and get her two-year-old daughter around. |

She said she was still extremely rattled by the theft of her car.

“The police say, you’ll be OK, we’ve got them locked up now,” she said.

“Being strong minded, I though I’d be OK, but it comes later.”

Ms Vervoort said the car was not insured.

“Because we got a deal when we bought it, we didn’t think to insure it,” she said.

“If it had been insured, it would have saved a headache, but most of the reason we didn’t insure it is because we are scraping through each week.”

Another hidden cost the family encountered as a result of the car being stolen were the impound fees after the smashed car was towed to an impound lot.

Ms Vervoort said she was glad that no one was hurt in the crash.

“If I had woken up to him in our home, it could have been worse,” she said.

“We only just moved to Madora Bay and we really love it here.”

Ms Vervoort said she and her husband were both country kids, where “you leave the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked”.

“People are saying that police rammed the car and damaged it so they should be responsible,” she said.

“They’re bagging the police out, but we’ve had nothing but support and good things from them.

“They stayed at our home as long as we needed, then the station donated to the fundraiser as well.”

ReMax Secret Harbour real estate agent Stacey Reid has also organised a fundraiser to add to the kitty.

It will be on October 2 in the ReMax parking lot. Food has been donated by the Whistling Kite and Mandurah Toyota has donated some items.

Visit www.gofundme.-com/2p4vuxhg to donate.