Warrnambool celebrity Phil Hoye has been left devastated after thieves stole his beloved trademark hat and other items from his home on Monday morning.
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Mr Hoye rose to fame in August when a video of him and local artist Jimmi Buscombe, who painted the Warrnambool wombat on the Otway Road bridge, went viral. The video has had more than 40 million views
Mr Hoye, his wife Katrina and sons Darcy, 13 and Charlie, 11, were sleeping when the hat, $500 and a packet of cigarettes were stolen from the garage of their Fairfax Avenue home between 2am and 6am.
"The money’s replaceable,” Mr Hoye said. “I know it’s only a 20 buck hat but it’s got a bit of sentimental value.
“They must be fans if they’ve taken the hat. It’s a weird thing to pinch because it’ll implicate you if you get caught.”
Mr Hoye bought the iconic fur hat in Falls Creek a couple of years ago. He was hospitalised in Wodonga on the way home with heart complications and wore the hat the whole time.
“It’s like a lucky charm,” he said.
“We were in bed but it’s one of those things you never think it’s going to happen to you. My wife’s a bit upset. We’ve fixed the locks up now so everything’s under lock and key.”
He said the fact someone had come onto their property and stolen the items was the “bit that stings in the arse”.
Adding pain to the situation was the fact he had the cash in his wallet to buy Mrs Hoye something special for her 40th birthday.
“I did the secret squirrel thing. I had to dob myself into the missus because she was going ‘what were you doing with $500? Where did that come from?’
“I only had the cash in my wallet because it’s my missus’ birthday coming up.”
Mr Hoye said the theft was either in response to his new-found fame or that the person who stole the hat was cold.
Regardless of the reason for the theft he just wants his much-loved hat returned. Mr Hoye has offered a $100 reward or said it could be dropped to the home anonymously.
"No questions asked," Mr Hoye said. "Stick it in my mail box. I’m offering a $100 reward to whoever can give it back. But if I get it back I’m also going to donate 100 bucks to charity. I just want it back.”
Detective Senior Constable Elissa Smith, of the Warrnambool police crime investigation unit, said unknown offenders broke into the rear shed of a property in Warrnambool's Fairfax Avenue between 2am and 6am on Monday.
"The hat that was stolen is very distinctive and would be very well known due to the wombat story on the Otway Road bridge," she said.
A crime scene van attended the property on Monday.
Anyone with information is asked to call Warrnambool police on 5560 1333 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
