The Tighes Hill 72-year-old said she woke yesterday ready to start fresh and accept that her flag was gone, and begin adding memories to a replacement.

After a day of hoping to spot her flag on display during Australia Day celebrations and an influx of offers from politicians to veterans to replace it, Mrs Foster said she had accepted it was gone.

‘‘I couldn’t keep crying,’’ she said.

But a twist of fate brought the national emblem that graced every dawn service, Anzac Day and Remembrance Day in Newcastle from 1985 back to Mrs Foster yesterday.

She said a man called her in the early afternoon and promptly delivered the prized flag back to her.

The Newcastle Herald had reported that Mrs Foster’s flag, which carried enormous sentimental value, was stolen from outside her Tighes Hill home on January 16.

While she offered a reward to get her flag back, Mrs Foster said its return had been invaluable to her.

‘‘I couldn’t put a price on it, actually,’’ she said.

Mrs Foster said she was heartened by the support after she appealed for the flag’s return, including a replacement organised by MP Sharon Grierson’s office.

‘‘It’s brought out the best in so many people,’’ she said.