Owner of Abolish Demolitions, Andrew Goutziotis, discovered two coffee jars filled with $100 bills hidden under a garden bed during a demolition in Caulfield North.
The jars seemed to have remained buried for years, however, Goutziotis handed the money to Caulfield police, who then traced it back to a previous owner of the house.
Goutziotis turned over the old Nescafe jars that were about 500mm under an old garden bed, carefully sealed with tape and stuffed with thousands of dollars in very good condition.
“It was the right thing to do and we do things properly” said Goutziotis who has been running his demolition business for 15 years.
“We’ve found a few things like antiques but nothing like this.”
Caulfield Police Senior Sergeant Neil Mathieson said the home’s owner died years ago and his family had no idea about his stash.
Mathieson called the family to the station, telling them that “something had been found at the Caulfield North property” and they revealed their relative had a habit of stashing money in Nescafe jars.
The family of the deceased has rewarded Goutziotis’ honest did with a substantial cash award.
“His actions demonstrate the better side of human behaviour,” Sen-Sgt Mathieson said, stressing that anyone who found valuables, including cash, should hand them to police or they risked being charged with “theft by finding”.