By John Chambless
Staff Writer

Thanks to some luck, some hard work and some community involvement, two metal giraffes are once again standing in the yard of Fred and Patricia Dunn in Franklin Township.

The statues, nicknamed Giraldine and Raffello by the Dunns, had stood at 613 Gypsy Hill Road before they were stolen in January 2015. The Dunns had given up hope of finding them again, but the two sculptures – damaged and vandalized – were recovered after some sleuthing. The condition they were in, however, required some TLC.

In an email message to the township last month, the Dunns wrote, “Thank you to all that had even a small part in helping to locate them after they were stolen and, we believed, totally destroyed. Armand Francart, of Eastern Machine Company, right here in Landenberg, believed differently. Out of the goodness of their hearts, his organization has restored them to even better than their original state. Armand and his son even delivered and put them on display for us. Everyone in the company had a hand, in some way, in their resurrection. Thank you Armand, Lisa, Dave, Nancy, Teddy, Abe, Stephen Justin, Eli and Derek.

“Anyone who would like to see them, please drive by to see them or feel free to stop and take a picture,” the note concluded.

John Auerbach, Franklin Township Board of Supervisors chairman, had a hand in returning the giraffes to their former state. He connected the Dunns with Eastern Machine Company and Francart to do the restoration work.

Auerbach said he was glad to help. “I could not be more pleased to see this unique display return to be enjoyed by all the residents of Franklin Township,” he wrote in an email sent before Christmas. “My brother Tom and I saw the giraffes as we traveled to the township this morning. What a great Christmas present to all who have opportunity to enjoy it.

“Armand Francart is a unique individual who is generous and has great creative talents,” Auerbach added. “He is a skilled metal worker, machinist, engineer, businessman and inventor. He holds many, many patents for ideas he developed into finished, saleable products. Thank you Armand and family for this generous contribution.”

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].