Three Memorial plaques stolen from Caulfield Park

Three plaques, of historic significance, were stolen from Caulfield Park on Good Friday (April 3, 2026). This report comes from the Facebook post of Robert Littlewood (1).

These war memorials were vandalised, removed and stolen on Good Friday: Just in time for ANZAC Day

Beer-Sheba Israel Memorial
The Beer-Sheba Israel Memorial features a plaque that faces Hawthorn Road. Unveiled on 25 April 1995, it commemorates the Light Horse Charge of Beer-Sheba in 1917, during World War I. This was the last triumphant cavalry charge in world history. (2)

The Beer-Sheba Israel Memorial, 2015

Image: https://dossier48.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/caulfield-park-memorials/

The Beer-Sheba Israel Memorial, April 2026

Image: https://www.facebook.com/robert.littlewood.39

Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Plaque
The Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Plaque commemorates the planting of a tree (directly behind the plaque) in honour of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved 100,000 Jewish lives in Hungary during World War II.

Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Plaque, April 2026

Image: https://www.facebook.com/robert.littlewood.39

Memorial Stone
Adjacent to the new Lone Pine, the Memorial Stone lists the names of 298 people from the Caulfield district who died in World War I. In 2015, we moved the stone from near the rose garden to its current position on the site of the former conservatory, in front of the new Lone Pine.

The Caulfield World War One Memorial, 2015

Image: https://dossier48.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/caulfield-park-memorials/

The Caulfield World War One Memorial, April 2026

Image: https://www.facebook.com/robert.littlewood.39

Coming only a few weeks before ANZAC Day, this is an insult to the memory of those Australians who fought and died in the Great War and to the millions of Jewish people murdered in World War Two.  Even worse, it is likely they were just stolen for their scrap value.

Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au, if you have any information on this atrocious act of vandalism. 

Footnotes

(1) Robert Littlewood's report is the first I can find on the incident. It was posted on his Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/robert.littlewood.39 on 5/4/2026. However, his description of the monuments comes from the City of Glen Eira website here https://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/our-city/history-and-heritage/our-monuments-and-sites/war-memorials

(2) The Beer-Sheba charge took place of October 31, 1917 and you can read more about it here 

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/the-charge-of-the-4th-light-horse-brigade-at-beersheba  There was a later Cavalry Charge  in World War One, at the Battle of Haifa on September 23, 1918, when Indian and British troops captured the city of Haifa from the Ottoman Army. You can read about this here https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/battle-of-haifa-1918-a-saga-of-indian-valour/

Sources

• Robert Littlewood Facebook https://www.facebook.com/robert.littlewood.39 
• Dossier 48 website - https://dossier48.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/caulfield-park-memorials/
• Channel 7 interview with Dvir Abramovich on the theft of the plaques - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEQJ5vCVcVM

Federation Pathways Project 2001 - historic bench and plaque

In early 2026, the City of Port Phillip removed a bench and its plaque, which was situated at Point Ormond Reserve by the canal mouth. The seat was in poor condition, which was the reason for the Council's action.

The Federation Pathways Project 2001, bench and plaque.

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The bench was one of the five which marked sections of the Federation Pathways Project 2001. Historian, Meyer Eidelson, explains the project and the significance of the benches -
The Federation Pathways Project 2001 developed trails on historic and cultural themes in the City of Port Phillip. Benches made of native Australian timbers mark the five trails that connect to the foreshore. Look for the benches at the start of the Foreshore, Waterways, Aboriginal, Working People and Immigrant Trails. 

Bill Henshall made these benches. He built them on his muddy work site by the Yarra River under Westgate Bridge. A shipping container housed his tools and provided the only shelter in a very wet year. The benches were built in the open air in the winter and spring of 2000. They range from ten to fifteen feet in length and are made from massive Australian timbers such as grey box, yellow box and redgum. Much of the timber was in the form of tree trunks that had been pier supports at Victoria Dock. The rest was salvaged from repairs at Station Pier. 

Despite their size, the benches were built with few bolts. The parts are designed to slot into and support each other. The wood was milled and sanded to enhance the water-worn grain, and then oiled. The benches were transported and set into place in consultation with the many community groups who worked on the trails and who chose the bench locations. 

In 2001 the design for these benches won the Traditional Furniture Prize and the Recycle Prize at the Australian Wood Design Exhibition.

The bench and plaque marked the start of the Canal or Waterways trail, and the inscription read -
Federation 2001 Canal Trail. This bench, made from historic river timbers, celebrates the waterways and wetlands of the City of Port Phillip that have shaped our patterns of settlement, wildlife habitats, parks and public works.

The Plaque

Image: © VanishedVictoria

Vanished Victoria understands the reasoning behind the removal of the bench and we hope that the Council realises the historical significance of the bench and restores it in a sympathetic manner. We also hope that, in the interim, the plaque be installed on a plinth at the location, so that the Canal Trail and its relationship to the rest of the Federation 2001 Trail is not lost. 

The empty site where the bench was located. 

Image: © VanishedVictoria

Source 

Eidelson, Meyer Walks in Port Phillip: A guide to the cultural landscapes of a City, published by the City of Port Phillip, in 2001, on-line here 

https://www.victoriawalks.org.au/Assets/Files/Walks_in_Port_Phillip_-_A_guide_by_Meyer_Eidelson%20-%2043%20pages.pdf

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/

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

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/

Boer War Soldiers plaque, Peace Memorial Library, Colac

On September 12, 1901 the Peace Memorial Library was opened in Colac, as a permanent memorial when peace is declared in South Africa (1). The War, known as the Second Boer War or the South African War, ended on May 31, 1902.

In June 1902, a brass plaque was installed in the front porch of the Library. It had the following inscription This tablet commemorates the death, in the cause of the Empire, of four young men of this district - Edgar Quartus Robertson, Noel Leonard Calvert and Arthur Edward Murphy, who were killed whilst lighting in South Africa, and of Thomas Yates, who died immediately upon his return to Victoria, 1901 (2). The plaque was 27 inches by 21 inches.

The plaque was stolen at the end of July in 1953 (3). The stealing of the plaque commemorating local soldiers is bad enough and shows a lack of respect to the men and their families, but this act contributed to the demolition of the Peace Memorial Library in 1970.  Members of the Colac and District Historical Society petitioned the Council to save the building and although the building was known to be a Peace Memorial, documentation to substantiate this was incomplete. The details of its true identity were preserved in a large brass plaque which, complete with the names of Boer War veterans, was attached to the south wall. Without this evidence the Shire of Colac committed an act of official vandalism and demolished the Peace Memorial Library. (4).

The Peace Memorial Library, Colac, c. 1908.

Photographer: T.R.G. Williams.

State Library of Victoria Image H96.200/1533

Should you have any information about the plaque's history or location,  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.

Footnotes
(1) The Age, 13 September 1901, read.
(2) The Age, 17 June, 1902, read.

(3) The Argus, 3 August, 1953, read.
(4) Mcintosh, Ida Forest, Lake and Plain: the history of Colac 1888-1988. City of Colac, 1988, p. 35.

Plaque and bronze lettering, Elwood Life Saving Club

Recently, the commemorative plaque and the bronze letters, John R. Conabere, on the Elwood Life Saving Club Pavilion were stolen. The building was dedicated on October 23, 2004 and was named in honour of John R. Conabere, O.B.E. All that remains are the letters, O.B.E.

The commemorative plaque and bronze letters in situ.

Image courtesy Elwood Life Saving Club

John Russell 'Jack' Conebere was a Life Member, Trustee and former President of the Club. The Elwood Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1911 and Mr Conabere was interviewed by The Age  newspaper in January 1988 and informed the reporter that Elwood was the first club to use the reel and line in rescues and also pioneered the the use of flotation devices, which replaced the reel and line. They were also the  the first club to use marine radio. The report continued with  Listeners to Radio 3KZ were still informed by Elwood life savers about conditions on the Bay, a service started by Mr Conebere in 1956 (1). 

Jack Conabere received his O.B.E in the Queen's Birthday awards in June 1969 in recognition of service to life saving. He passed away January 8, 1989 at the age of 68 (2).

A tribute from the City of St Kilda to Jack Conabere.

The Age January 12, 1989

It seems a shame that a man who devoted so much of his life to keeping the beach at Elwood safe for the thousands of visitors every year, should be treated with such  a lack of respect by the thieves.

Elwood Life Saving Club.

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The wall where the plaque and lettering once was.

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The letters O.B.E are all that remain.

Image: © VanishedVictoria

Should you have any information about this item's history or location, 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.

Footnotes

(1) Tuohy, Wendy Around the Bay: Elwood published in The Age January 7, 1988. p. 10.

(2) Australian Honours database https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/search; Death notice in The Age January 10, 1989.

Quarantine Station plaque, Point Ormond

There is a cairn on Point Ormond, Elwood which marks the site of Victoria's first quarantine station.  The quarantine station was established on April 24, 1840 when the ship, the Glen Huntley arrived, flying  the yellow quarantine flag. The cairn was unveiled in November 1985, a project of the St Kilda Historical Society and the Elwood Lions Club. Unfortunately the top plaque has recently disappeared. The lower plaque, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Glen Huntley  is still there.

The missing plaque

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The cairn complete with both plaques, photographed in 2019

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The cairn in May 2022

Image: © VanishedVictoria

In good news, in September 2023 the City of Port Phillip replaced the missing plaque.

The cairn with the replacement plaque

Image: © VanishedVictoria, September 2023

Should you have any information about the original plaque's history or location, 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.

Levi summer house plaque, St Kilda Botanical Gardens

Commemoration and memorial plaques do vanish and in mid-April 2022 this plaque on the summer house in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens, in Blessington Street, was stolen. The summer house was donated in memory of Albert and Rachael (nee Benjamin) Levi by their children. Their son, Joseph, who was a City of St Kilda Councillor, wrote to the Council in December 1928 -
The family of the late Alfred and Rachael Levi, who were very old residents of our city, desires to perpetuate their memory by placing a memorial in the Botanic Gardens, Blessington street, in the form of a summer house for the use of our citizens. The erection of the summer house was completed in July 1929 (1). 

Some people might say, it's just a plaque, what does it matter? But  it does matter because we have lost the connection between the summer house and the generosity of the Levi family; we have lost a connection to part of the history of St Kilda and we have lost the connection to civic philanthropy, when people would donate land or a fountain or in  this case a summer house, to be freely used by all members of the  community. The plaque can be replaced, but it won't have the same ring of authenticity as the very solid and stylish original.

The missing plaque

Image: © VanishedVictoria

The Levi summer house, St Kilda Botanical Gardens.

Image: © VanishedVictoria

This was not the only plaque stolen in April 2022 from the Elwood St Kilda area, there were several others as well. The City of Port Phillip has issued a media release on these thefts https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/about-the-council/news-and-media/brazen-bronze-thefts-in-port-phillip

In good news, in September 2023 the City of Port Phillip replaced the missing plaque.

The replacement plaque

Image: © VanishedVictoria, September 2023

Should you have any information about the original plaque's history or location, 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.

Footnote

(1) The quote is from the Prahran Telegraph, December 21, 1928, see here; there is also a report in the Prahran Telegraph of July5, 1929, here.