Monday, May 26, 2025

Betsy the Cow - Stolen

Vanished Victoria records the disappearance of both 'High' Art and 'Low' Art. The most recent case of low or commercial art which has vanished is Betsy the Cow, used to advertise her owners, Lely Australia, a dairy farm equipment company.

Betsy was stolen from outside Lely Australia, in Peterpaul Way, Truganina on April 27, 2025 at 1.20am.  Police have footage of Betsy being loaded into a trailer behind a Holden VE Commodore station wagon.

Betsy is life size, made of fibreglass, is red and white in colour, and has Lely written on her side. She is said to be worth $3,500.

Why does it matter that Betsy, essentially an advertising gimmick, was stolen? Because she was bright and fun to look at, and even though her 'home' was an industrial estate in the west of Melbourne, she surely bought joy to local workers and those who passed by.

Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 if you have any information.


Betsy, on the night she was stolen. 
Image - Victoria Police. https://wyndham.starweekly.com.au/news/help-find-betsy/


Betsy and colleague in happier times.
Image: https://wyndham.starweekly.com.au/news/help-find-betsy/


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Thursday, May 22, 2025

A Campaign of Beheading

Domain Gardens Headless King George V

The 1952 statue of King George V by William Leslie Bowles, located in Kings Domain Gardens, by Linlithgow Avenue appeared to be bereft of its head on the Kings Birthday public holiday, in the dark hours of 10th June 2024. The statue was also daubed with a splattering of red paint with words: "the colony will fall".


The headless statue
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-17/stolen-king-george-statue-head-at-kneecap-concert-melbourne/105061054


As reported in the media in March 2025,  the bronze head resurfaced on stage at the performance of the Northern Irish hip hop band, Kneecap at the 170 Russell Street venue.


The head on stage at a concert in March 2025
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-17/stolen-king-george-statue-head-at-kneecap-concert-melbourne/105061054 

An Australia Day 2025 social media posting with the head on a bar-be-que. 


The King's head on a bar-be-que.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-17/stolen-king-george-statue-head-at-kneecap-concert-melbourne/105061054 

The group responsible were interviewed by SBS in May 2025. Read a transcript of the interview, here.

Busts of Prime Ministers stolen

At 1:23 a.m. on 23rd January, 2025 busts of former prime Ministers Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd were also stolen from the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, and 18 other statues vandalised in the Prime Ministers Avenue. Damage was estimated to be in the order of $140,000.

Days later, on Australia Day, a photo of a masked person dressed in black holding a bust and a sledgehammer was posted on social media with a caption referring to returning "the land to its rightful owners"


The stolen busts of Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-17/stolen-king-george-statue-head-at-kneecap-concert-melbourne/105061054


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