General News
3 November, 2025
‘It makes me feel sick’: Edenhope mum speaks after ordeal
It's fair to say Brooke Wall and her family have had a challenging run the last few years. But it culminated last week when her car was allegedly stolen from outside her Edenhope home.
Brooke and her husband, Robert, are parents to Zara (six), Elsie (21 months) and Margot, just one month.
Robert has been an Edenhope resident for years, with Brooke moving to the town from Adelaide in 2018.
But life hasn't always been rosy for the Walls, with creating their dream family being a challenge, full of fertility issues and loss.
"I also suffer from stage three Endometriosis and polycystic ovaries, so we are extremely grateful to have our children," Brooke shared.
But there were further issues when the couple went for their 12-week scan for the newest addition to their family, which led Brooke to have Margot away from home at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital.
"We were told that there were issues possibly with her heart and her umbilical cord had only a couple of vessels instead of three," Brooke explained.
"I also suffered from hyperemesis with all of my pregnancies, and I was later diagnosed with gestational diabetes, making me a high-risk pregnancy.
"Margot was measuring on the smaller side due to the ongoing health issues, and we were told at 36 weeks we were to go to another hospital, as Hamilton hospital was no longer able to keep me as a patient."
The news came only a few weeks before Brooke was to have a C-section, but thankfully, Brooke and Robert welcomed Margot safely into the world, and despite a few scares after birth, she's a happy and healthy baby now.
Along with a challenging pregnancy, Brooke and Robert have also been juggling the requirements of their daughter Zara, who suffers from severe asthma and has been in and out of the hospital the majority of her six years.
"It is extremely hard being in such an area, so regional with any health issues, as access to facilities for medical treatment is scarce," Brooke said.
"There is a lot of travel in regards to care from specialists and hospital treatment."
Things were looking up for the family when they were recently the recipients of a hamper from "The Nurtured Village Hampers West Wimmera", with the family receiving a plethora of products, thanks to community donations, and Brooke describes the gesture as heart-warming.
"We were very grateful to all of those who helped," she shared.
"We do not have any family support locally, so we were very appreciative of the community helping us in ways we’re not used to getting."
But the feel-good vibes didn't last long, with bad luck striking the family shortly after the donation was made.
"We had just purchased a Mazda CX-9 a couple of months ago so that we could fit in our car as a family of five," Brooke said.
"On Sunday night/Monday morning 19/20th of October, our car was stolen from our house, with my husband realising when he went to take our daughter to school."
Ironically, Brooke said, only the night previous, she had mentioned to Robert, concerned that there had been a lot of Edenhope thefts, could he make sure nothing had been moved or taken from the front of their house.
"We have lost all of our car seats, accessories for the pram and baby carriers, et cetera," Brooke said.
"But it isn't only that - it's the personal possessions and sense of security.
"I feel so scared for my family and our safety, as we weren’t the only ones affected by these thefts."
Brooke said it made her feel sick that people were sneaking around her house, going through their stuff while they were sleeping.
But she has again been buoyed by the community and their help, along with the power of social media.
"If it wasn’t for everyone sharing the stolen car post on Facebook and helping us, we wouldn’t have been able to locate the car in Mount Gambier," Brooke said, adding the car was now in police possession.
"Both Victorian and South Australian police have been helpful to us, too.
"We are lucky to live in such a tight-knit community and be offered car seats and help getting to appointments and shopping.
"People have dropped off groceries to us and helped us in many ways."
Admitting she is just relieved no one was hurt in the entire process, Brooke said she hopes the people responsible will be reprimanded.
But even so, the family will still be left to pick up the pieces.
She's hopeful they will be able to either buy another car or have theirs returned, although she said it was "pretty banged up” when located and then there are the other things no one really considers.
"Insurance only covers up to $500 for car seats, so we unfortunately have to choose which kid 'deserves' a new car seat in the eyes of insurance," Brooke concluded.
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