Council Requests Information on Vandalism to War Memorials

The Waitaki District Council have asked the public for information on who vandalised the war memorial concrete crosses in Oamaru last week.

Vandals smashed and damaged the concrete crosses, set beside oak trees in Severn Street and Awamoa Road. The crosses commemorate North Otago men and women who died in World War 1, in. Vandals pushed over some crosses, damaged others and smashed bottles against the crosses.

Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton described the vandalism as "just unbelievable" and mindless desecration. "The trees and crosses are so well known as memorials, their symbolism is well understood. To find there are people so far removed from the knowledge and respect of such symbols is disturbing," he said.

North Otago Memorial Oaks committee chairman Tony Wood was upset and "absolutely ropeable" about the damage.

"I'm really disappointed members of the community deliberately do this and I want to see it stopped. They obviously don't understand the significance of the crosses and what they mean. They might even be related to those people, which makes it even worse," Mr Wood said.

Each cross cost about $120 to replace and he believed those responsible should be made to reinstall them. "They need to be exposed for what they've done," he said.

Waitaki community safety officer Alison Banks had received information from a member of the public, who lived near Severn Street and awoke at 3am on Wednesday to shouting and the sound of smashing glass.

"Acts of vandalism have a major effect on the community and the feeling of safety. Desecration of these types of symbols in the community is the extreme and disrespectful and should not be tolerated," Mrs Banks said.

Street signs were also damaged that morning, at a cost to Waitaki ratepayers, she said.

Earlier this year, the council's assets committee heard that the cost of sign vandalism in the district could be more than $100,000 a year, although it was difficult to calculate a firm figure.