Lebanese Immigrant statue stolen from Preston

In November 2024, the Lebanese Immigrant statue was stolen from the  Ray Bramham Gardens in Preston. The 2.5 metre high bronze statue was cut off at the ankles, and was likely sold for its metal value. 

The statue was erected by the World Lebanese Cultural Union (WLCU) State Council of Victoria and officially unveiled on November 19, 2011, by the Mayor of the City of Darebin. The WLCU invitation to the unveiling said that this will be the greatest event for the Lebanese Community in Melbourne Australia, as the statue represents 150 years of Lebanese presence in this blessed country. 

The Lebanese Immigrant statue

Image: https://melbourneartcritic.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/preston-public-sculpture/ 

The remains of the statue.

Image: William Coenik, posted on the 

Preston, Thornbury & Northcote and The Spine that Binds Us Facebook page on 20/2/2024

The WLCU statement on this theft noted that the act of stealing this statue is not merely an offense against a piece of art, but a violation of the identity, history, and culture of an entire community and an insult to the sacrifices of thousands of Lebanese who were compelled to emigrate.

We currently have no information as to whether the statue has been replaced. 

The remains of the statue.

Image: William Coenik, posted on the 

Preston, Thornbury & Northcote and The Spine that Binds Us Facebook page on 20/2/2024

Should you have any information about the Lebanese Migrant statue, contact the police or please leave a comment below or see 'Contact us' tab for anonymous emailing.

Should you actually possess the item and wish to return it its rightful owners or custodians, please contact us.

Note on name:  On the plinth the statue is called the Lebanese Immigrant; on the 2011 invitation to the official unveiling it is called the Lebanese Migrant statue

Sources:

• World Lebanese Cultural Union (WLCU) post of November 16, 2024 https://wlcu.world/ng/28009/
• Invitation to the unveiling https://wlcu.world/ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/2011-10-06-Melbourne-Unveiling-Invitation.pdf
• Preston, Thornbury & Northcote and The Spine that Binds Us Facebook page post of  20/2/2024 by William Coenik

Mission to Seafarers Weather Vane stolen

On Sunday,  March 6, 2022 it was discovered that the  elaborate weather vane on the Mission to  Seafarers building in Flinders Street had been stolen.  A few days earlier a hacksaw had been spotted on the roof and an examination revealed a small cut on the supporting rod of the weather vane. Security measures were stepped up, but the thieves returned and sadly, completed the job.

The weather vane. 

Image:  Mission to Seafarers from the Australian Society of Marine Artists Facebook page.

The Mission to Seafarers building, originally known as the Mission to Seamen, was officially opened by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Arthur Stanley,  on September 11, 1917. It was designed by Architect Walter Butler in Spanish Mission style. The Mission provides practical and spiritual support to sailors from all over the world whilst they are in port.

The copper weather vane, which weighed 30 kilograms, was designed by Henry Alfred Saw. It was fully restored in 2020 through donations and a Victorian Heritage Restoration Fund.

This is a tragic loss both historically and artistically, made even worse that it was likely stolen only for its copper value. 

The weather vane can be seen on the right on the Mission to Seafarers building.  

Flinders Street extension, Melbourne, c. 1972. Photographer: K.J. Halla. 

State Library of Victoria image H36133/581

Sources:

• Dredge, Rhonda Hooded thieves make off with weathervane in Ship to Shore - https://missiontoseafarers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ShipToShore-Issue-1-2022.pdf
• The Argus, September 12, 1917, see here.
• Mission to Seafarers website https://missiontoseafarers.com.au/

The White Lady Statue at the Riverview Tea Gardens, Maribyrnong

The Riverview Tea Gardens were established in 1910 by Daniel Hicks on his property overlooking the Maribyrnong River, on Canning Street, Maribyrnong (the area is now known as Avondale Heights).  The gardens were popular with picnic parties who arrived by boat. One of the attractions was the White Lady statue - a woman standing on a plinth with a  kangaroo, half her height, beside her.

The Riverview Tea Gardens. You can see the White Lady statue to the left of the Tea  Rooms.

Maribyrnong River, Maribyrnong, c. 1910-1930. Photographer: Robert Macedon O'Brien. 

State Library of Victoria image  H84.461/388 https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/52190

Detail of the image above, with the statue in the bottom left.

Image:  https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/52190

Daniel Hicks owned the Tea Gardens until the 1940s. The statue remained there until 1976 when it was moved to the grounds of Flemington High School, in Epsom Road. Around 1980, Leanne White wrote an article on the statue for the Flemington Express - 

An Historic Statue
Staff and students at Flemington High School erected an historic statue at the school recently. Although the monument has now turned a pale green with age it has a fascinating history.

The statue was originally situated in the Tea Gardens next to Canning Reserve. In 1910, a boatman named Hicks brought 112 acres and transformed it into an enjoyable area for residents. He established the famous Tea Rooms, tennis courts, a dining hall and also a miniature zoo. In 1934 the Hicks family built a large paddle steamer to carry 209 passengers form Princes Bridge and Studley Park.

The War put an end to these beautiful Gardens and for years the buildings have been a target for vandals. Students from Flemington found the statue in 1976 lying headless in the undergrowth and the teachers supervised bringing it back to school. Weeks late the head was found and years later Mr. Gerald Tighe decided that this unique statue which had once played a large role in the history of Essendon should stand once more. (1)

An Historic Statue by Leanne White, c. 1980

Image: Leanne White, from Lost Melbourne Facebook page.

Flemington High School closed at the end of  1992 and the site was sold to Harness Racing Victoria, the buildings are now the headquarters of the Victorian Racing Club. Leanne said that the statue was still there for a number of years but apparently, it ended up out the back of the building (lying as rubble) for a while. (2)

A report in the Mail of September 18, 2002 noted that the damaged, headless statue was taken to the former Keilor Council depot in Keilor Road to await restoration funds, but disappeared before anything was done. (3)  It is thought that the last time the statue was seen was the mid-1990s, after the Council amalgamations in 1994. (4)  If so, it is only one of many historic records or artefacts which disappeared during those times.

In 2002, the Moonee Valley Council commissioned  a replica of the statue. The sculptor, Weining Ling, created the statue based on photographs supplied by the Hicks family. It was unveiled in Canning Reserve, Avondale Heights in November 2002. (5)

Acknowledgements

The photograph of the Riverview Tea Gardens, as seen at the top of the page, was posted on the Lost Melbourne Facebook page on January 21, 2020. In response to the image, Leanne White posted a number of comments and newspaper articles on the White Lady statue, including the one above from the Flemington Express. Some of Leanne's other material has also been used in this post. 

When contacted by Vanished Victoria, some years ago, Moonee Valley Council officer Russell Beer, Coordinator Horticulture & Public Space, supplied us with copies of seven articles on the White Lady statue, dating from 2002, which were used for this post.

Footnotes

(1) White, Leanne An Historic Statue, published in the Flemington Express, c. 1980.

(2) White, Leanne - comment on Lost Melbourne Facebook page, January 21, 2020.

(3) O'Toole, Lara  White Lady Reborn  from the Mail, September 18, 2002

(4) Taylor, Peter After 20 years, welcome the White Lady from the Monee Valley Leader, November 11, 2002.

(5) O'Toole, Lara  White Lady Reborn  from the Mail, September 18, 2002

The plaque from the Sali Cleve Drinking Fountain in St Kilda

The plaque from the Sali Cleve drinking fountain in the Catani Gardens in St Kilda  has recently been stolen. The plaque was inscribed with - This drinking fountain is a gift to the public from Sali Cleve, Esq., April 1911.

The Sali Cleve Drinking Fountain

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sali_Cleve_Drinking_Fountain_in_Catani_Gardens,_St_Kilda.jpg

The fountain, was donated by St Kilda resident, Mr Sali Cleve and  was officially unveiled on May 23, 1911.  The Malvern Standard reported -

Judging by the number of street monuments - drinking fountains in the majority - that are being erected within the boundaries of St. Kilda, that city is particularly fortunate in having many generous and noble minded citizens, who, in the practical way indicated, show their devotion and interest in the community's welfare. Mr Sali Cleve, a retired Melbourne merchant and local resident, is the latest to make a presentation of a drinking fountain to the city. It is of very handsome design; it is erected on the Lower Esplanade, opposite the pier, the cost being about £250. The fountain was designed by the late Mr C. A. Irwin, and was constructed by Mr J. P. O'Rourke, of the Adamant Monumental Works, Dandenong road, who has successfully undertaken many similar classes of work. The ceremony of unveiling the fountain was performed on Tuesday afternoon by Mr Watt, Acting Premier, who was accompanied by Mr Edgar, Minister for Public Works. (1) 

In 1916, Mr Cleve had a park in St Kilda named in his honour. Cleve Gardens, on the corner of  Beaconsfield Parade and Fitzroy Street, was so named as for many years he had  most generously paid for the improving and beautifying of that reserve. Sali Cleve died at the age of 88 on November 2, 1919. (2) 

 

The Plaque. 

Image: St Kilda Historical Society https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/603efb1a092fbbe37f3e95f9

The plaque was located above the pink granite block. 

Image: © Vanished Victoria

This is  a senseless theft from an historic and decorative drinking fountain, and an insult to the memory of the philanthropic and generous Mr Sali Cleve. The City of Port Phillip intends to replace the plaque. 

Footnotes

(1) Malvern Standard, May 27, 1911, see here. There is another report of the unveiling in the Prahran Telegraph of May 27, 1911, here. 

(2) Prahran Chronicle, February 19, 1916, see here; The Argus, November 4, 1919,see here;  Jewish Herald, November 14, 1919, see here.  

Plaques stolen from children's graves at Altona Memorial Park

On March 15, 2024 Wyndham TV News published the following short report -

Shocking Theft: Heartless Thieves Steal Children’s Memorial Plaques from Cemetery
The Hobsons Bay Crime Investigation Unit is looking into a despicable theft at Altona Memorial Park in Altona North, where 80 memorial plaques were stolen between Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 13. These plaques, dedicated to children, were located in the “Garden of Little Angels.”

Following the incident, relatives and friends have been visiting the cemetery to check if their loved ones’ plaques are missing. The cemetery is in the process of contacting those impacted by the theft and has taken steps to improve security, including installing cameras.

Police are investigating and have asked for the public’s assistance. They are also advising scrap metal dealers to be alert for anyone trying to sell the plaques and to report any suspicious activities.

If anyone has information or relevant video footage, they are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or submit a report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

The theft has understandably caused concern among those affected, and efforts are underway to address the situation and prevent future incidents.

Some of the graves after their plaques were stolen. 

This was a shocking theft from grieving families, who are left to bear the cost of replacing their plaques. This theft, and others like it, is enabled by unscrupulous scrap metal merchants, who turn a blind eye to the source of material offered to them.

Plaques were stolen in 1951 from the Fawkner Cemetery, but they were later found. Read about this here.

Source: Wyndham TV - https://www.wyndhamtv.com.au/shocking-theft-heartless-thieves-steal-childrens-memorial-plaques-from-cemetery/

The St Kilda Post Office Clock

The clock on the old St Kilda Post Office, on the corner of St Kilda Road and Inkerman Street, has disappeared. But it is not really the clock that is significant, it is the fact  Post Offices, as we knew them, have also disappeared. Once a focal point in every suburb and town they employed the Post Master or Mistress, a number of postal assistants, telegraph office staff and telephone exchange operators, who were all employed by the Postmaster-General's Department and later Australia Post.

The St Kilda Post Office opened in 1876, and on the other side of Inkerman Street was the Buck's Head Hotel, built in 1871 but, which in April 1892, changed its name to the Post Office Club Hotel. (1) The Post Office, served the community, with the clock prominent from the 1890s when the three centre archways were filled in, as shown in the photographs below.

 

St. Kilda Post and Telegraphic office, c. 1880s.

State Library of Victoria image H2000.2/4. This image has been cropped see full image here https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/358947

St. Kilda Post Office, c. 1897-1899. 

Photographer: Sands and McDougall. 

State Library of Victoria image H27288/1f  

In the days past, public clocks such as those at the Post Office were essential, as not everyone had a watch. The clock also helped to keep local council workers on time as they made their way to the Council Depot in Inkerman Street - which has also vanished. In fact, the clock was so important that in 1929, the St Kilda Council had a complaint about the clock, which was often not working and the Council resolved to ask the officer in charge to have it repaired. (2)

However, from the late 1990s the days of the Government owning Post Offices were over and many were advertised for sale, with a lease back deal to Australia Post. For the St Kilda, Albert Park and Balaclava Post Offices, this happened in March 2000. This was just the precursor to many Post Offices being closed completely and / or the actual postal business sold to private enterprise.  These were operated as a Licenced Post Office, either as a stand-alone business or in conjunction with, for instance, a news agency (another vanishing business) or a convenience store. Hard to image the local hotel would change its name to the Convenience Store Club Hotel.

The sale of the St Kilda, Albert Park and Balaclava Post Offices.

The Age, March 1, 2000. p. 33 from newspapers.com

The clock had been removed by December 2007, the date of the earliest images on Google Street View but it appears the Post Office was possibly still operating at that time and until around 2009. In November 2009 the St Kilda  Post Office and adjoining building, were put up for sale again and were sold for $4.75 million to a developer, who has since built units around the historic building. (3)

The St Kilda Post Office, without the clock, but with a For Sale sign in November 2009.

Google Street View google.com/maps

The clock and the public coin-operated scales (a story for another day) which were also outside the St Kilda Post Office, are remembered fondly by a Vanished Victoria team member who grew up just up the street from the Post Office.  The loss of the clock is symbolic of the loss of Government service and services  - there are often no longer convenient Post Offices, which these days could be a hub for helping people navigate the on-line world which they need to survive such as using a MyGov account for Centrelink, Medicare and the Taxation Office. For people with poor or non-existent computer skills and without a family member to help them, trying to access useful information on-line is a nightmare.

Footnotes
(1) Port Phillip Heritage Study - https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/media/fdnnxqvn/vol-1-section-6-part-1.pdf; ots, Punks and Punters: A History of the Hotels in St Kilda and South Melbourne by Becky Aizen.(St Kilda Historical Society, 2004) - on-line here https://skhs.org.au/hotels.htm; name change of the Hotel - The Argus, April 7, 1892, read here.
(2) The Herald, July 2, 1929, see here.
(3) St Kilda's former Post Office sells https://www.realestatesource.com.au/st-kildas-former-post-office-sells-for-475-million-to-asian-apartment-developer/

Theft of plaques worth £4,306 stolen from Fawkner Cemetery in 1961

The fate of many stolen plaques and sculptures is the scrap yard where they are sold for their metal value. This case comes from 1961 when 1376 bronze plaques were stolen from the Fawkner Cemetery; the value of the plaques was  £4,306. To put that in perspective, you could actually buy a house in Fawkner at the time for around the same amount of money.

The Age newspaper of July 3, 1961 reported on the theft. The plaques had been jemmied from the wall niches which held cremated remains, but interestingly they left the plaques belonging to ex-servicemen. The plaques were either ten inches square of five and a half inches square. The article also notes that two weeks previously, 400 brass flower urns, worth  £600 were taken from the Melbourne General Cemetery. The Police were of the opinion that the plaques would be melted down.

Plaque stolen from Fawkner Cemetery.

The Age, July 3, 1961, p. 14.

The Police were correct in their assumption as the plaques were indeed sold to a scrap merchant, but thankfully recovered before they were melted down. The £4,306 worth of plaques were sold to a Brunswick dealer for £207 and the £600 worth of brass urns were sold to a Preston dealer for £53. The Police were following a lead that the gang responsible for similar thefts at Ballarat and Geelong may have been involved in these thefts.

Plaques recovered

The Age, July 15 1961, p. 3 

What we can learn from this is that the theft of community assets is nothing new; that thieves are prepared to sell their loot cheaply and that some scrap merchants, then and now, are prepared to turn a blind eye to the source of some of the material they accept.  And therein lies the cause of many of the recent thefts of statues, such as those from Parkdale, Frankston, Hoppers Crossing and Rowville - treasured community art works, stolen for their metal value. 

More recently, 80 plaques were stolen from the Altona Memorial Park, read about this here.

Sources

• The Age, July 3, 1961, p. 14 from newspapers.com
• The Age, July 15 1961, p. 3 from newspapers.com
• Sale advertisements for houses in The Age in 1961

Captain Cook Statue in the Fitzroy Gardens vandalised

The statue of Captain Cook in the Fitzroy Gardens was cut down, in an act of vandalism, on February 26,  2024.  This follows the destruction of the Captain Cook statue in the Catani Gardens in St Kilda, just before Australia Day the same year and and the toppling of a Captain Cook commemorative plinth in the Edinburgh Gardens, North Fitzroy.  Police have still made no arrests

The statue before the vandalism

Photographer: Bloomberg/Getty Images

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/27/captain-cook-statue-toppled-melbourne-cooks-cottage-fitzroy-gardens

The Age of February 27, 2024, published the following report -

A bronze statue of Captain James Cook has been hacked off its plinth in a Melbourne park, prompting a police investigation. The sculpture of the British explorer at Cooks' Cottage in East Melbourne's Fitzroy Gardens was cut off between 5pm on Sunday and 7am on Monday. A video posted to an anonymous social media account shows masked vandals using an angle grinder to saw the statue off at its ankles, before pushing it over. The words '' the colony will fall'' were painted beside the fallen statue, according to the account.

'' Yet another monument to the imperialist James Cook has been felled in so-called Melbourne. Rumour has it that this was the last remaining Cook statue in the city,'' the post on Instagram says. '' Monuments such as this only serve to prop up the narrative that enables so-called Australia's continuing theft and desecration of land and life, and to legitimise its ongoing violence. '' This narrative is as hollow as a monument to a long dead coloniser who met his just fate, being speared by first nations warriors in Hawaii.''

According to the Captain Cook Society, the statue was sculpted by Marc Clark in 1973, and was owned privately before it was gifted to the City of Melbourne in 1996. The sculpture was moved into the garden at Cooks' Cottage the following year. Built in 1755, Cooks' Cottage was the Yorkshire home of Captain Cook's parents, with the two-storey brick house and its adjoining stable taken apart and shipped from England to be rebuilt in Melbourne. The attraction opened in 1934.

In February 2025, the City of Melbourne reported that the Fitzroy Gardens statue had been restored. The statue in the Catani Gardens has also been restored by the City of Port Phillip; the Edinburgh Gardens monument has been permanently removed from display by the City of Yarra.

Sources:
Crowe, Alex Cooks’ Cottage statue toppled in latest attack on Melbourne monuments
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/captain-cook-statue-toppled-in-latest-attack-on-melbourne-monuments-20240227-p5f81r.html
(may be behind a paywall)

Captain Cook statue outside Melbourne’s Cook’s Cottage toppled amid spate of attacks
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/27/captain-cook-statue-toppled-melbourne-cooks-cottage-fitzroy-gardens

The Fitzroy Gardens statue was initially installed in Endeavour Hills. You can read a history of the statue here - https://victoriaspast.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-endeavour-hills-captain-cook-statue.html

Information about the vandalism of the Cook statue in St Kilda and the Cook monument in North Fitzroy
http://www.vanishedvictoria.org.au/2024/01/the-vandalism-of-captain-cook-statue-st.html

Houdini Monument in Digger Rest - vandalised again

In January 2025 the Diggers Rest Community Web Links site reported on the Houdini memorial - 
The Houdini monument along Holden Road, erected in 1990 to celebrate “80 Years of Flight,” lies in disrepair, a shadow of its former glory. This marker commemorates Harry Houdini’s historic 1910 powered flight, a moment that placed Diggers Rest at the heart of Australian aviation history. More than a memorial, it symbolised the community’s connection to innovation and progress, holding deep cultural value for both Diggers Rest and the wider Melton municipality.

Recently, the monument has fallen into ruin, with its plaque now toppled and surrounded by overgrown grass and rubble. The cause of the damage remains unclear, raising concerns about the preservation of local heritage in a municipality undergoing rapid growth. As Diggers Rest transforms, the importance of maintaining landmarks like the Houdini monument grows, ensuring the community retains its ties to history.

Restoration efforts could include repairing and re-erecting the plaque, adding protective measures, and introducing educational signage to honour Houdini’s achievement. Preserving this site is not only a tribute to the past but also an investment in the community’s future identity. The current state of the monument serves as a reminder of what can be lost when cultural heritage is overlooked.

The report made some valid points about heritage vanishing in growth areas such as Melton - it is an issue in other outer suburban municipalities such as Cardinia, Casey, Whittlesea and Wyndham. But the City of Melton did rebuild the monument, which was originally installed by the Lions Club, in March 2025. They used the original plans which were supplied by the Melton Historical Society and they were also able to reinstall one of the original plaques.

The monument after restoration

Image: https://www.diggersrest.com/home/an-historic-tribute-restored/

But sadly, this good news of the restoration has turned into bad news as on November 9, 2025 a local resident found the monument destroyed again under what is believed to be the same circumstances as before - vandalism caused by hooning cars. The local newspaper reported that both the Lions Club and the local residents want the monument restored. The local councillor, Cr Verdon was reported as saying that he will be asking council to investigate what additional measures can be considered to protect this important part of Diggers Rest history.

Local residents and the destroyed monument in December 2025

Photographer: Damjan Janevski. 

Image: https://sunburymacedonranges.starweekly.com.au/news/vanishing-act-on-houdini-monument/

This is just another example of wanton destructive vandalism by people who have no respect for their community assets or their local history. We hope the City of Melton will restore the monument again.

Sources - 

• O'Connor, David  Houdini monument in ruin posted on the Diggers Rest Community Web Links on January 21, 2025 https://www.diggersrest.com/home/houdini-monument-in-ruin/
• O'Connor, David  An Historic Tribute Restored posted on the Diggers Rest Community Web Links on March 7, 2025  https://www.diggersrest.com/home/an-historic-tribute-restored/
• O’Shea-Ayres, Jack  Vanishing act on Houdini monument in the Sunbury  - Star Weekly, December 4, 2025 https://sunburymacedonranges.starweekly.com.au/news/vanishing-act-on-houdini-monument/

Pioneer Women's Avenue, Bacchus Marsh

In May 1951, the Bacchus Marsh Express reported on the Outrageous theft from Women's Avenue. -
Approximately 250 heavy bronze nameplates were stolen from the Pioneer Women's Avenue last Monday night on the western approach to Bacchus Marsh. Country Roads Board men camped in the locality noticed the plates missing on Tuesday morning and reported the matter to the Police.

It was a dastardly theft, accomplished under cover of darkness and evidently with a vehicle. The plaques, set in concrete at each tree, had apparently been knocked off their iron pegs with a heavy hammer or axe. As scrap metal, they would be worth perhaps £50, but (if obtainable) might cost £1 each to replace with their inscriptions of names and dates. (1)

Remnant plaques from the Pioneer Women's Avenue, held by the 

Bacchus Marsh and District Historical Society.

Image:  Pioneer Women of Bacchus Marsh (see citation at bottom of post)

The Avenue, on the Western Highway, was planted in 1936 which was the centenary year of  Bacchus Marsh, to honour the memory of pioneer women of the Shire. A pioneer woman was defined as one who arrived or was born in the shire of Bacchus Marsh before 31st December, 1869, and it is proposed that one tree, with guard and name plate, be planted for each pioneer woman, so that each has an individual memorial. (2) The Bacchus Marsh Country Women’s Association (CWA) initiated the project. (3) 

During the Bacchus Marsh Centenary celebrations held in October 1936, Lady Huntingfield, the wife of the Governor of Victoria, dedicated the avenue of the English Ash trees to the  memory of the 277 Pioneer Women. (4)

This Avenue was a rare tribute to individual women in a time when men were the usual recipients of civic honours and tributes. Sadly, the name plaques were never recovered and the Avenue itself is no longer there - road widening and drought were responsible for its destruction. This, of course, is not the only avenue of trees which have vanished over the years, some Great War Avenues of Honour have also suffered the same fate. 

In 2008, the Bacchus Marsh CWA placed a monument and rotunda to commemorate the pioneer women of Bacchus Marsh at Stamford Hill near the corner of Main Street and Halletts Way. The women, who were honoured with a tree, have their names engraved on the  monument. (5)     

The Pioneer Women of Bacchus Marsh monument

Photographer: Nancy Alford. Image: Monument Australia  https://www.monumentaustralia.org/themes/landscape/settlement/display/100786-pioneer-women-of-bacchus-marsh 

Sources                                        

(1) Bacchus Marsh Express, May 26, 1951, read here

(2) The Age, February 26, 1936, read here.

(3) Melton Express, September 21, 1935, see here.

(4) Bacchus Marsh Express, October 24, 1936, read here

(5) Ellis, Lachlan Pioneer Women of Bacchus Marsh in the Moorabool News,  February  20, 2022 https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/themooraboolnews/news/pioneer-women-of-bacchus-marsh/

The Melton Express of November 28, 1936 published a comprehensive overview of the project, read it here

In 2015, the Bacchus Marsh Branch of the Country Women's Association of Victoria, published a book on the Avenue - Pioneer Women of Bacchus Marsh: an introduction to the Women of the Bacchus Marsh Pioneer Women's  Avenue. It has biographical details on all the women honoured and it may still be available from the Bacchus Marsh Historical Society https://bmdhs.au/

A Figure Hewn from the Cliff, Peterborough

This Rose Series postcard is entitled A Figure Hewn From The Cliff, Peterborough, Vic. It is, as the name suggests, a sculpture carved into the sandstone cliffs. The image is from the State Library of Victoria and was posted onto the Facebook group, Lost Country Victoria. A commentator on the Facebook post said that -  around the 1950s or 1960s I remember seeing this among other treasures growing up and frequently visiting this coastline..... somewhere around Loch Ard Gorge I think. My sister and I used to wander all thro there and caves when we were kids. Given many Rose Series postcards were produced from the 1920s to the 1950s and given that the figure has eroded, and now disappeared altogether, the work could  have been produced from the early 1900s. 

A Figure Hewn From The Cliff, Peterborough, Vic.

Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co. State Library of Victoria image H32492/1908

https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/65025

It would be interesting to know if the sculptor created other carvings in the sandstone around Peterborough and if any evidence of them remain. 

Sources
Lost Country Victoria Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/LostCountryVictoria

Notes
Another person who saw the post said they uploaded the image to Google images and Goggle AI noted that the figure was carved by local resident "Bill" (William) Gore, who created several such sculptures along the cliffs in the early 20th century, but there was no supporting documentation. This may, of course, be true, but our independent research has found no evidence and, as no references were supplied, we cannot return to any original sources.

Now when you search the title of the postcard on the Internet the association with William Gore is the first and only reference you find, as it links to the Lost Country Victoria Facebook post and the Google AI information. What has vanished here is not only this endearing sandstone carving, but due to AI, any sort of documented research into the story behind the work. To many people AI says it is true and thus it is. And you may say, it's only a postcard, posted on a social media site, what does it matter? But AI 'research' is becoming more pervasive and as a researcher and historian, this vanishing connection between thorough investigation and results is as concerning as the many artefacts that have been lost over the years.

Monuments in Flagstaff Gardens vandalised

Two monuments in the Flagstaff Gardens in Melbourne were vandalised on January 21, 2026.  They were the Pioneer Monument and the Separation Monument.  The Pioneer Monument, which was designed by Samuel Craven, bears the inscription - Erected in 1871 to the memory of some of the earliest of the pioneers of this colony whose remains were interred near this spot. A reference to the fact that Flagstaff Hill was the site of  Melbourne's first European Cemetery, until it was replaced in 1837 by the Old Melbourne Cemetery, on what is now the site of the Queen Victoria Market.

The sandstone monument was toppled and daubed with 'death to Australia' and other slogans, as well as the inverted red triangle, which is linked to terrorist organization Hamas.

The Pioneer Monument

Image: City of Melbourne, City Collection

The damage to the Pioneer Monument.

Image: Rukshan Fernando Facebook post 22/1/2026

The Separation monument was erected in 1950, to make the centenary of separation of the Colony of Victoria from New South wales, which was announced on November 11, 1850. This monument, of various types of stone, was daubed with the red triangle symbol and slogans.

The Separation Monument

Image: City of Melbourne  https://citycollection.melbourne.vic.gov.au/separation-memorial/

The vandalised monument.

Image: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-22/colonial-statues-vandalised-in-melbourne-flagstaff-gardens/106255894

The Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Cr Nicholas Reece was reported by the ABC as saying -
"Defacing or damaging city assets in Melbourne will not  -  and cannot -  be tolerated," he said in a statement. "While there are a range of views on statues and memorials, each time a monument is damaged it's ultimately the ratepayer footing the bill - and that is unacceptable. We can have a debate about the future of statues and memorials, but we will never tolerate or reward vandalism."

Speaking further to ABC Radio Melbourne, Cr Reece said the monuments would be repaired, noting the Separation Memorial marked an important event in Australia's democratic history. "The Separation Memorial actually memorialises Separation Day, the day that Victoria became a colony in its own right," he said. "It was actually a great step forward for democracy for the people of the state."

He described the vandals as "idiots". "These are low-IQ individuals who don't actually understand the historic significance of the monuments that they are attacking," he said.

Sources

155-year-old colonial monument destroyed, graffitied in Melbourne's Flagstaff Gardens, ABC news -  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-22/colonial-statues-vandalised-in-melbourne-flagstaff-gardens/106255894

eMelbourne - Pioneer Monument: https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM02108b.htm; Separation Monument - https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM02113b.htm

City of Melbourne - https://citycollection.melbourne.vic.gov.au/separation-memorial/ 

Mahatma Gandhi statue stolen from the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville

In yet another act of cultural vandalism in Victoria, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was stolen from the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville. CCTV footage shows two men using an angle grinder to cut the 400kg solid bronze sculpture off at the ankles at 1.00am on January 12, 2026. 

The stolen Statue 

Image: The Indian Sun Facebook page post of 2/2/2026

The statue was gift of the Indian Government to the Centre in 2021 and was unveiled by then Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. The statue had survived an earlier attempt at vandalism, when thieves tried to remove the head soon after it was unveiled.

The Guardian newspaper reported in February that - the spokesperson for India’s ministry of external affairs, Randhir Jaiswa, said the government had raised the matter with Australia. “We strongly condemn the vandalization and removal of the Mahatma Gandhi statue located at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne by unidentified people,” he said in a statement posted to social media.

Sadly, one more example of a statue which held great meaning to community members being violently destroyed for its metal value. 

The remains of the statue with Mr Vasan Srinivasan of the 

 Australian Indian Community Charitable Trust.

Image: https://www.9news.com.au/national/gandhi-statue-stolen-adored-bronze-gandhi-statue-taken-from-indian-charity/fbab3c80-90c8-41e3-963a-32930db0bad7

Sources

Indian government urges Australia to ‘hold the culprits accountable’ over theft of Gandhi statue in Melbourne, The Guardian February 4, 2026 -  https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/04/gandhi-statue-melbourne-theft-indian-government-australia 

Thieves use angle grinder to steal 'adored' bronze Gandhi statue from Melbourne charity, February 4, 2026 https://www.9news.com.au/national/gandhi-statue-stolen-adored-bronze-gandhi-statue-taken-from-indian-charity/fbab3c80-90c8-41e3-963a-32930db0bad7