Anguish of stolen memories

Tired and eager to get her four daughters to bed, the 35-year-old forgot to lock the family's Tarago, only realising her mistake the next morning.

About 7.30am last Friday Mrs Kerr discovered thieves had taken advantage of the unsecured vehicle, stealing her handbag, a portable DVD player and iPod.

Although disappointed, she knows these items can be replaced.

It's the theft of a camcorder and digital camera that has left her distraught, particularly as they contain footage and images of three-week-old daughter Sasha.

Mrs Kerr yesterday pleaded for those behind the theft to return the cameras or a copy of the data stored on them.

"I'm trying to appeal to their heart; hopefully they've got a heart, these people," she said.

"Every time I think about it I just want to burst into tears. We're all still alive and I've still got the baby ? we've got plenty more memories to make ? but it's just disappointing."

Many of the cameras' images document Sasha's birth, with at least seven hours of family moments captured on camcorder footage.

"I feel like our privacy's been invaded too," Mrs Kerr said.

"Christmas, birthdays (were recorded); it's stuff that you can't replace."

She and husband Damien are kept busy caring for children Lily, seven, and Hope, four, while daughter Poppy will turn two tomorrow.

"That's another reason I want the video camera back, because now I can't take any video of Poppy's birthday," Mrs Kerr said.

"(Damien) is feeling for me, because he knows how much effort I put into photography and videoing and how I love sitting up and watching it all back."

The Sony camcorder and Canon camera were kept in a rectangular, black bag and were bought for about $2000 several years ago.

Mrs Kerr is confident their value had fallen significantly since their purchase.

Anyone with information about the theft is urged to contact Camperdown police station.