On October 6, 2026 the bronze statue of navigator and explorer, Matthew Flinders (1774 - 1814) was sawn off at the ankles and stolen. The statue was unveiled on January 26, 1988 and stood in Mornington Park, off Schnapper Point Drive, Mornington. It had been commissioned by the Shire of Mornington as a Bicentennial project and the work was undertaken by sculptor Marc Clark (1923-2021).
The statue.
Image: Stuart Moore, posted on the Matthews Flinders Bring Him Home Facebook page
The remains of the statue.
Image: Stuart Moore, posted on the Matthews Flinders Bring Him Home Facebook page.
Apparently the Council has recently installed CCTV cameras in the Park, so this may reveal the perpetrators. The Police have asked anyone with information or dashcam or CCTV footage, to contact Crime Stoppers.
This is yet another senseless act of vandalism - hard to know if this was a political statement or it was just stolen for the scrap value.
Sources:
- Post by Stuart Moore on the Matthews Flinders Bring Him Home Facebook page. Posted 6/10/2026 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2266227553619013/
- Monument Australia entry https://www.monumentaustralia.org/themes/landscape/settlement/display/110834-australian-bicentenary
- Callander, Lucy Bronze Matthew Flinders statue stolen from Mornington park after being cut at ankles, published on-line in the Herald-Sun on 7/10/2026
- https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/bronze-matthew-flinders-statue-stolen-from-mornington-park-after-being-cut-at-ankles/news-story/e098c741402347b75a7923590db0f1c7<
