Stolen statue of queen returned
By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Staff Writer
Three months after it was stolen from its pedestal at the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center, a bronze statue of the queen has been returned.
Richard Ambo • The Advertiser
The heart-breaking loss of the 4-foot-high statue from the center's courtyard had prompted the staff to issue a public plea for its return.
The 4-foot statue will be secured in the courtyard of the children's center.
Late Wednesday afternoon, a couple drove up to the center and said they had found the 100-pound statue.
"We ran out to take a look, and they had the statue in the back of their truck," said center executive director Claire Asam. "The staff was very excited."
The couple said they were driving in Kalihi Valley and saw something in the bushes by the side of the road. They got out to take a look.
"The woman said, 'You know, when I saw it, I knew it was yours,' " Asam said.
In addition to the statue, thieves who broke into the center made off with a koa clock, a feather lei and other items.
Asam said the statue was found on its side in the brush, undamaged. It will be cleaned before being restored to the courtyard.
"We're enhancing security in the courtyard, and we'll be permanently securing her to the pedestal where she was standing. Our goal is to do this all by September 2nd, her birthday, so we're working real hard to get all of that done."
Although the other stolen items remain unaccounted for, Asam said the statue of the queen is a powerful symbol for the organization's work, and the staff is grateful for its safe return.
"For us at the Children's Center, it's a visual reminder of her legacy and her charge to us to take care of Hawaiian orphaned and destitute kids. And we've carried on even though the statue hasn't been here — but it's such a beautiful statue, and it was just such a void when that pedestal is empty."
Reach Lee Cataluna at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.
