Up to 19 brass plaques honouring fallen Tasmanian soldiers have been stolen from a war memorial site in Hobart, sparking outrage from community leaders.
The plaques were allegedly forcibly removed from Soldiers Memorial Avenue on the Queens Domain, a heritage site featuring over 530 trees planted to commemorate local soldiers who died during World War I.
The City of Hobart has reported the thefts to Tasmania Police and is working closely with authorities on the investigation.
Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue President John Wadsley expressed his disgust at the desecration of the memorial.
“We are appalled that anyone would consider stealing, removing, destroying these memorial parks,” Wadsley said.
“They represent the loss that families in Hobart suffered and the love that they had for someone who died on the other side of the world.”
The avenue has been undergoing restoration work for more than two decades, with the community group having been actively involved in preserving the important piece of Tasmania’s wartime heritage since 1999.
Each tree along the avenue bears a plaque with the name of a fallen soldier, creating a living memorial that holds deep significance for many families in the community.
“These plaques may hold little monetary value, but to the families of the fallen soldiers, they are priceless,” Wadsley said.
“This should never happen and must not be allowed to happen again.”
Anyone with information about the thefts is urged to contact Tasmania Police on 131 444 or make an anonymous report to Crime Stoppers at crimestopperstas.com.au.
