All 19 bronze memorial plaques stolen from Soldiers Memorial Avenue in Hobart have been recovered after a tip-off led police to a dumped hessian bag.
The plaques, which honour Great War soldiers, were found yesterday behind the Births, Deaths and Marriages office on Hobart’s eastern shore.
“We’re really pleased to say that we’ve recovered all 19 of the plaques,” Inspector Andrew Keane said.
“An anonymous member of the public came to the Bellerive police station yesterday and said they thought they had found those items.”
Police believe the extensive media coverage may have spooked the thieves into dumping the plaques.
Inspector Keane said the person who handed them in and their story about finding them was under investigation.
“We’re leaving all the options open but that’s certainly a lead that we’ll be following up, that the person has either panicked or changed their mind,” he said.
Unfortunately, the recovery hasn’t come without damage. Several plaques are bent and will need to be completely recast, with restoration costs expected to top $12,000.
John Wadsley, President of the Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue, said each plaque was unique and irreplaceable.
“Every one of the 537 plaques on this avenue are unique because they each represent an individual soldier or a nurse,” he said.
“Some of them look okay and some of them will take a lot more effort.”
Recasting a single plaque costs more than $600, making the theft especially costly for the volunteer-run group that cares for the memorial.
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds described the theft as “ridiculous and heartless”.
“There was such media coverage in this incident which I think did spook those who took them,” she said.
Police are still investigating the left and would like to hear from anyone who saw suspicious activity in the Queens Domain area.
Restoration is expected to take several months and the committee is now considering extra security measures to prevent another theft.
