The four girls ” Callie Cox, Olivia Turner, Leah Halse and Grace Anderson ” have run the stand occasionally during the past three years to earn a little extra pocket money.
However, the lemonade project took a sour turn on February 2 when thieves pulled up to the stand in a stolen BMW and demanded that the girls hand over their iPads and iPods.
Callie said she first thought the man, who wore a bandanna over his face, just wanted lemonade.
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READ NOW‘We got up to serve (the man) because we all have our jobs to do and we share them, so we put our phones on the table,’ Callie said.
‘But then he just went up to Olivia and ripped her iPad out of her hands and that’s when we all got scared.’
Mum Jo Anderson was just five metres away from the girls inside her house on Edgecombe Pass.
‘The girls just came in screaming; they put on a brave face now but they were genuinely terrified. The police response was fantastic ” not only when they came to the incident but the 48 hours afterwards, when they kept us updated,’ Ms Anderson said.
The Aveley and surrounding communities have already offered substantial donations to recoup what was stolen, including a photograph signed by West Coast Eagles star Nic Naitanui.
Olivia said the community spirit had been overwhelming.
‘At first when it all happened I just thought ‘wow, there’s some really bad people in this world’, but after everyone offered their help and donations it changed my mind,’ she said.
The girls plan to hold a morning tea for police who attended the incident and to donate some of the extra cash they received to charity.
Police later charged an 18-year-old Caversham man and a 20-year-old Bassendean woman in relation to the incident. They are due to appear in the Midland Magistrates Court on February 28.