A mysterious coloured print with links to an audacious Angus burglary has surfaced in a Clydebank charity shop.
Retired lecturer and family tree researcher Stuart Gray was walking in the West Dunbartonshire town when the coloured print of the large house caught his eye.
Captivated by the picture, and its “curious sounding” name Mundamalla House, he set out to find out more,” said Stuart.
“Because of the name, I was convinced it had links to Australia, so I emailed a couple of friends there right away.
“Then I did some research online and came across several articles about the burglary in Newtyle.”
Thieves raided former retirement home Mundamalla House in Coupar Angus Road in March 2011.
The home had shut, with the building on the market for offers over £895,000, when robbers made a suspected number of visits and made off with a significant amount of property.
Full details of the items taken were not released at the time, but a large number of fixtures and fittings were said to be among the haul.
Stuart said he was keen to trace the picture’s rightful owner, assuming it was among the items taken, and went back to the charity shop to buy it for £20.
“I walked into the shop and I noticed the lovely painting up on the wall. It is a coloured print and has these nice pastel colours.
“After finding out about the break in, I went back to buy it. You can see from the back that there is water and dampness. That suggests it may have been kept in an empty place for some time.
“I will let the police know and say it appears to be part of the property that was taken.”
He said if no-one does come forward he would be happy to keep the picture.
“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s a very attractive coloured print.”
The manager of the Clydebank charity shop said they only had the painting in the shop for a few weeks.
She said: “We do a bit of basic research when these things come in and we couldn’t find out anything. I didn’t think there was any value in it.
She said “so many things come in” and stock moved between shops regularly that she couldn’t say who had donated it.
“I took it out of stock and put it on the wall. Then I remember the gentleman coming in to get it,” she added.
In 2013, Angus Council passed an application to turn the former care home back into a private family home.
