The mayor of the Derwent Valley has discovered a “nasty” note left at the ‘big old log’ in New Norfolk that labelled the local council as “dogs”.
The log, a long-standing feature on Millbrook Rise at the town’s entrance, recently collapsed after rotting through entirely.
Mayor Michelle Dracoulis called it an “iconic piece of our woodcutting history”.
She described the note, which read “Well done. History gone. Norfolk council dogs”, as hurtful.
“My council aren’t dogs,” Dracoulis responded on social media.
“They work hard to serve our community, delivering many of our essential services from stormwater management to bushfire readiness to digging our graves.”
The mayor stressed that while “old trees rot and times change”, the opportunity to be kind to each other is “never off-trend”.
“I hope the author of this note takes time to think of the hurt they could have caused if council staff had been the ones to find it,” she said.
“A nasty message anytime, but all the worse at Christmas.”
