Police Investigate as Vandals Break 103-Year-Old Anzac Monument in Half

In recent weeks there has been an uptick in the heavy vandalism of Australian historical and colonial monuments.

The heavily damaged 103-year-old Anzac monument in the town of St. Helens in Tasmania. Courtesy of Tasmania Police

Tasmania Police are actively investigating the toppling of a 103-year-old Anzac monument in the town of St. Helens.

It’s believed to have occurred some time between Jan. 28-29.

The obelisk was a tribute to World War I diggers, and a police image shows the top half of the structure broken off completely and left on the steps of the monument.

“The St. Helens cenotaph in Tasmania was dedicated in 1923 to local men who died in World War I,” wrote the British Australian Community on X.

“Among those commemorated are two brothers” whose names were Clarence and Herbert Gardiner.

Clarence was wounded in Gallipoli before passing away in Malta at the age of 21.

Herbert was 23 when he was killed in action in Belgium.

The RSL Tasmania said Australians should reflect on the incident.

“Is this truly what we are becoming? A society where some believe it is acceptable to destroy the very fabric of our local communities? A place where the memorials that stand in silent tribute to sacrifice can be treated with such disregard and such disgrace?” the RSL wrote in a statement on Facebook.

“A cenotaph is not simply stone and mortar. It is memory made visible. It represents young men and women who never returned home, families and communities who carried grief for a lifetime, and generations who understood that freedom is neither automatic nor free.

“These monuments anchor our towns in shared history and collective gratitude.”

Police have urged anyone with information to call Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 and quote the reference number 796242.

String of Attacks on Australian Historical Monuments, Structures

There has been an uptick in heavy vandalism against Australian monuments to history or colonialism in recent years with a major uptick in recent weeks.

On Jan. 14, vandals in the New South Wales (NSW) town of Walgett targeted a 100-year-old Anzac memorial, which was knocked over and shattered.

Sometime between Jan. 21 and 22, a 154-year-old Pioneer Memorial in Melbourne was destroyed and vandalised with words including “death to Australia” and a Hamas terror group symbols painted on it

A second monument in the same park was also attacked.

On Jan. 23, vandals defaced the Eltham War Memorial in Melbourne’s northeast with red paint and slogans.

Then on Jan. 24, vandals attacked a popular wedding venue in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens, covering each pillar in Aboriginal flag graffiti.

And on Jan. 28, Melbourne’s oldest surviving building was defaced with red paint. The La Trobe Cottage was home to Lieutenant-Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe

Footage of the attack was later shared online by the vandals.