In a week when the region commemorated the deaths of 550 miners, graffiti vandals paid their own tribute by vandalising the 120-year-old Bulli Mine Memorial.After leaving a tag on the Scottish granite memorial, they then moved on to the adjoining St Augustine's Anglican Cemetery, spray-painting a 115-year-old headstone.It is the latest in a series of attacks on memorials and cemeteries that has outraged the community.
20 vicious vandalism acts a day in the Illawarra Third attack on Wollongong Cemetery Full list of miners killed in the Southern Coalfields Yesterday, residents of Bulli met Wollongong Police Detective Chief Superintendent Joe Mura and Heathcote MP Paul McLeay to voice their concerns.The meeting was called by Mr McLeay to launch a campaign targeting graffiti vandals.The campaign includes an increase in patrols of known graffiti areas by police, who will be armed with new laws that include making young offenders clean up their mess, paying compensation to their victim or undertaking a training program.A blitz is being undertaken by the Office of Fair Trading to ensure retailers are complying with new laws on the sale of spray cans, while police are working with residents and councils to identify new initiatives."The government has prohibited the sale of spray paint to under 18s, imposed fines of $2200 and six-month jail terms, and established the Anti-Graffiti Action team," Mr McLeay said.Bulli resident Theo Happel strongly condemned the vandals. "Vandalism is a crime against the community and should be dealt with in a very harsh manner," he said. "We are fed up with the destructive, mindless vandalism of our suburb."Mr Happel expressed particular disgust at the damage done to the miners' memorial and cemetery, but said all northern suburbs had been targeted."They're breaking and defacing anything they can find. Street signs, schools, shops, graveyards, war memorials; there's nothing that is sacred to these guys," he said."It all takes place at 4 o'clock in the morning."This is done by cowards, it isn't done by men who stand by their work."Supt Mura asked that people report all incidents of vandalism to enable police to concentrate on major risk areas.He said police had a database of graffiti tags and young offenders were being dealt with.
