Another memorial vandalised in a senseless act

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Not even a week after it was officially named after a Victoria Cross recipient, a Gillieston Heights park has been trashed by vandals over the weekend.

Joseph Maxwell VC Park was named in a special ceremony last Wednesday and has since had mud smeared across memorial plaques, turf ripped up and a commemorative Lone Pine tree also ripped from the ground.

Nearby residents found the destruction on Sunday afternoon and cleaned up the damage, thankfully replanting the Lone Pine tree.

Mayor of Maitland Peter Blackmore has labelled the incident as a straight out defiant act by someone/s in the community who obviously have nothing better to do than go around and vandalise a park.

Image supplied to The Maitland Mercury

"It is very very distressing that these things can happen when so many people put so much effort into beautifying their local suburb by having a park where they can sit down there with young children and babies, etc. and just a meeting place for residents to come and sit and talk."

The Mayor is urging anyone with information about the senseless destruction to come forward.

"Somebody must know something and so there would be a reward offering for the conviction of somebody who has caused this damage. It's a shame and like so many people would say you'd like to have caught them in the act."

The vandalism comes out after a World War I cenotaph was also vandalised in Clarencetown at the end of last week.