Voodoo dolls and bus stop doilies are the latest additions to Brisbane City Council’s unclaimed lost property collection, as the Council reveals its quirkiest finds.
This year alone, more than 13,500 lost property items have been handed in by good citizens across Brisbane, including more than 1,500 bags, 1,300 mobile phones, 1,000 wallets and 500 sets of keys.
Chair for Community Arts and Nighttime Economy, Councillor Vicki Howard said Brisbane’s surge of major events has resulted in an increase in forgotten items.
“Whether it’s fallen between the seats of council busses, misplaced after a library study session or simply dropped on the go, our team processes anywhere between 50 and 80 lost items a day,” Cr Howard said.
“It’s great to know the people of Brisbane are always looking out for each other, with necessities like wallets, phones, bags, and keys handed in to be reunited with their rightful owners.
“We’ve also seen a surge of Airpod cases handed in to Council team members, which Airpod owners can attest to forever going missing.
“With recent major sporting and arts events taking our city by storm, we have seen an increase in lost items finding there way to the Council lost property hub.
“Our collection also boasts a host of weird and wonderful items including a well-constructed (and seemingly un-haunted) voodoo doll, a glass skull, and a series of handmade doilies, collected over 20 separate occasions on a Council bus.”
Cr Howard said Council makes every effort to reunite lost goods with their owners, with about a third being successfully reunited.
“This year we have had some fantastic success stories, including reuniting an overseas traveller with their bag and passport, as well as returning an extensive art portfolio to a university student which resulted in tears of joy.”
“Where items can’t be returned, they do go to good causes. Any unclaimed money is donated to the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Trust, which supports our city’s grass roots charities.
“More than $8,880 in unclaimed funds has been donated so far this year to this worthy cause.
“Clothing items that are in good condition are donated to charity, while glasses are donated to the Fred Hallows foundation.
“Any items that could potentially be sold, such as jewellery and books, are donated to Council’s Tip Shops for shoppers to find a bargain.
“The only item that Council officers have held onto is a particularly charming singing skeleton named Skinny, who now oversees the reunification of lost items with their loved ones.
“If you’ve misplaced something on your travels around Brisbane, I encourage you to get in touch with Council’s award-winning Contact Centre to find your forgotten treasures,” she said.
BRISBANE’S TOP 10 LOST ITEM CATERGORIES THIS YEAR:
- Bags (This includes Back Packs and Handbags but does not include School Bags or Plastic\Shopping Bags etc) – 1588
- Mobile Phones – 1371
- Wallets\Purses – 1086
- Clothing – 881
- School Hats – 777
- Misc Electronics – 559
- Airpods – 545
- Earbuds other than Airpods – 542
- Keys – 511
- Glasses – 485
