Families rushed to the grave sites of friends and loved ones at Bulli on Thursday morning, as news filtered through the community of another act of mindless, ‘‘frightening’’ cemetery vandalism.
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At least 10 monuments have recently been damaged at Bulli cemetery, with historic sandstone grave headstones dating as far back as 1926 knocked over, cracked or otherwise desecrated at the Carrington Road complex.
The damage, estimated at $20,000, seemed confined to the Church of England section of the cemetery, some of the oldest burial plots that overlook the nearby soccer field. Large chunks of white stone were strewn about the area, cracked off tall crucifixes and headstones that lay shattered nearby.
Woonona resident Veronica Chapman has a husband, son and father-in-law buried at Bulli cemetery. She came to the site on Thursday morning to check on the headstones of her loved ones, which were thankfully untouched.
‘‘I was devastated when I heard. You just hope your family’s area is all right,’’ Ms Chapman said.
‘‘It is frightening. There is no excuse, it is vandalism of the worst kind.’’
The alarm was raised on Wednesday morning, police investigating the offences through the day and appealing for information that evening. Police believe the vandalism occurred between 9.30am on October 15 and 7.30am on Wednesday.
‘‘Cemeteries are a sacrosanct place. They are off-limits to such behaviour,’’ said Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery, who came to inspect the damage on Thursday.
‘‘I’m very disappointed there are people who did this. I hope they are brought to account.’’
A stone mason will be brought in to attempt to repair the damage, and cemetery staff are attempting to inform the next of kin of the affected grave sites.
Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact Wollongong police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.