Sweet Charity

Thornbury's opportunity shops are fighting crime the nice way. For years, the Melbourne mafia have terrorized footpaths with their off-cast ceramic ashtrays and bags of contraband second-hand dressing-gowns. No more! The Thornbury Lions Club is reclaiming the badlands with a security camera and a simple message: smile.


The incidence of out-of-hours footpath donation has decreased by 94% since the implementation of Operation Smile, but it remains to be seen whether the Lions Club's softly-softly approach will reduce the effects of trolley "borrowing".

We're giving you the benefit of the doubt, Sunil. Of course, you merely "borrowed" our trolley, and perhaps we weren't clear on the loan's duration. But hear us loud and clear, mister, if you don't "please" return that trolley soon, then your "borrowing" days in this town are over. This ain't any old shop; this is a Charity Shop.