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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, May 9, 2003

Theft of statue hits center hard

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

The first burglary was bad enough. The second was the real heartbreaker.

The Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center in Kalihi first noticed things missing from their reception area last month; items like framed prints of Queen Lili'uokalani and John Dominis, a koa clock, a feather lei in a koa and glass frame, even the console for the center's phone system.

A few weeks later, thieves got past the gate at the Halona Street facility and made off with a bronze statue of the queen that was on display in the courtyard.

"It was something that was really treasured by us," says the center's deputy director, Gail Hironaka. "Every day you would walk in and you would see the queen. People would put leis in her hand. It was just something that was really special to us."

The statue of Queen Lili'uokalani is the prototype for the one at the State Capitol; in the same scale, but smaller, about 4 feet tall and 100 pounds.

"It was on a pedestal but it wasn't secured so we could remove it to put on a protective coating. It wasn't bolted down," Hironaka said.

Several other sculptures and pieces by Hawai'i artists that were on display on the center grounds were also taken, but the center's staff isn't sure if those were taken in the first incident or the second.

The Halona Street site is home to the administrative offices for the charity that was established in Lili'uokalani's will to benefit orphaned and other destitute Hawaiian children. "We provide services in three different ways," Hironaka says. "Individual and family strengthening, group services and our community development services."

The recent thefts won't keep the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center from providing those services, but the loss of the statue has been an emotional blow.

"I don't know what somebody would do with the statue," Hironaka says. "It's not something you'd put in your front yard."

It's not something you'd disassemble and sell as scrap, either. According to a local metal recycler, bronze goes for about 40 cents a pound.

The center has a burglar alarm system in the main building that has kept that area safe from thieves, but there's not much that can be done to secure the courtyard. Locks can be popped, the roof can be scaled, a determined thief can find a way.

"To be really honest, there's nothing left to steal," Hironaka says. "There's a few koi floating around in the pond, but that's it."

But if the statue is returned, steps will be taken to make sure it can't be taken again.

The Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center staff is holding on to hope that whoever is possession of the queen will have that change of heart and bring her back. No questions asked, they assure. They'd just be so grateful to have their statue of the queen back home.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.