Elwood cheese mystery solved!

Ed Cook
Ed Cook
Sep 4, 2018 · 3 min read

It appears that a pensioner, who is a well meaning animal lover has been leaving cheese near Elwood beach. The tip off came from a message sent on Facebook “I can help with the cheese story. My friend who I walk my dog with told me today there is an old lady who loves birds and he has to go shopping each week for hundreds of dollars worth of cheese for her to feed to the birds.”

This information was confirmed by this person. He wasn’t aware of the confusion the cheese was causing in the local community or the ongoing discussions on social media. “she dearly loves animals and feeding them is her only outlet because of the difficult family situation she is in.”

“She would find out where the cheapest cheese was and every Friday we went to various supermarkets we would get cheese and mince. The budget was about 12 kgs of cheese every week. She used to tell me that they ate a lot of cheese but she was obviously using it for feeding the birds. She was spending a good 3/4 of her aged pension on cheese and mince”

“She has an out of control, obsessive love for animals.”

He added that the situation could be more complicated “her landlord is really pissed off with the birds she attracts to the block of flats so she has to hide the cheese and mince downstairs.”

“She has a difficult relationship with her neighbours, they could have found the stash of cheese and be disposing of it. It seems odd that the blocks of cheese are so large as the lady in question would want to share it around so all the animals got some.”

“I’m surprised people haven’t seen her doing it”

Elwood residents have been baffled by the appearance of the large blocks of cheese on the beach and foreshore. The first reports were posted on the Elwood 3184 Facebook page in May by local resident, Ebony Claire.

Most of the cheese has been discovered in the bushes between the beach and the pedestrian lights on Ormond Esplanade between Byrne Avenue and Tiuna Grove. Sarah, who lives in nearby Ormond Rd walks her dog every morning. “I find four to five large blocks scattered in the bushes and one of two on the beach. I keep my dog on the lead so she hasn’t eaten much of the cheese by the time I pull it out of her mouth.”

Some cheese has been found buried in front garden beds or on the beach. This could be explained by the increase in fox sightings in the area. Foxes are known to move and bury surplus food — http://foxproject.org.uk/fox-facts/red-fox-diet/

One local pet grooming business, Petiquette by Caroline has offered a $1,000 reward to the person who solves the mystery.

Concerned residents suspected the cheese might be baited. The City of Port Phillip council tested pieces of cheese and confirmed that the it was not poisoned. Elwood Vet Clinic said “cheese contains a lot of fat, this can cause pancreatitis in some dogs which can be fatal. This depends on the age and breed of dog and also any existing health problems.”

The person who knows the lady said he would try to address the issue. “I would need to see if I can meet up with her to talk about the cheese situation.”

Not to be republished without permission and attribution.

Ed Cook

Ed Cook

Originally from the UK moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2001. Married with two young girls. Aspiring journalist studying Master of Journalism at Monash Uni.

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