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/

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