Graffiti vandals target heritage-listed Uncle Tobys silo in wake of Flinders Street Station attack

It’s a case of the higher the better for Melbourne’s graffiti vandals, who seem to relish the challenge of scaling some of the city’s iconic structures.

Thrill-seeking vandals are targeting tall, iconic structures across Melbourne in a chase for notoriety, including the Flinders Street Station clock tower, leaving massive clean-up bills in their wake.

Locals across Melbourne’s west have been left devastated after the heritage-listed Uncle Tobys silo in West Footscray was graffitied by vandals behind the “Pam the Bird” tag.

The artwork on the silo – depicting the man and woman from the Uncle Tobys logo – was “destroyed” by the graffiti only weeks before vandals scaled the Flinders Street Station clock tower on July 10 and plastered the same tag across one of its faces.

It was revealed on Thursday that the clean-up bill for the 117-year-old clock is set to top $24,000 due to the costs associated with engaging a team of abseiling graffiti removalists.

The heritage-listed Uncle Tobys silo in West Footscray was defaced by vandals with the “Pam the Bird” tag. Picture: Jason Edwards

The Flinders Street Station clock tower was graffitied on July 10. Picture: Ian Currie

The “Pam the Bird” tag, which varies in colours and sizes, has been plastered all over Melbourne on anything from highway signage to the walls of the City Loop, but in more recent times has flown to new heights.

Breen Auction Group managing director, Kevin Breen, who has owned the 30m-high silos and adjourning building for nearly two decades, said he was shocked and saddened that vandals would target such an iconic site.

Mr Breen said he believed the Uncle Tobys artwork was painted onto the silo in the 1940s and had since featured on vintage posters.

“I can’t believe someone would do this to such an Melbourne icon,” he said, calling out the individuals for chasing “petty notoriety”.

Breen Auction Group managing director Kevin Breen is shocked that vandals would target the silo. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mr Breen said the vandals had broken into the building on Sunshine Rd to gain access.

“They’ve abseiled down and destroyed the sign, basically,” he said.

The business owner, who runs unclaimed goods auctions on behalf of the Victoria Police out of the ground floor of the building, said he would love to be able to restore the artwork but the cost was beyond his reach.

“I certainly can’t afford it,” he said.

“It would cost thousands and I just don’t have the money.”

Acting Maribyrnong City Council chief executive Lucas Gosling said it is committed to working with property owners to “support removal of graffiti from the exterior of their buildings when possible”.

“The restoration of the Uncle Tobys sign is at the discretion of the building’s owner, subject to any heritage controls,” he said.

“The council cannot enter private property to remove graffiti.”

A ninja turtle-themed ‘Pam the Bird’ spotted on a train in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied

According to the Victorian Heritage Database, the West Footscray site was heritage listed as the “most substantial grain mill in the district reflecting the high point of industrial design”.

“It stands as one of a small number of surviving mills, where once dozens operated in the metropolis and hundreds in Victoria,” it states.

The prolific “Pam the Bird” tag has garnered a cult following on social media, with third party Instagram account @goodbirdart showcasing the graffiti to more than 20,000 followers.

Photos and videos on the page show the daring, yet destructive, tags being spray painted by masked individuals or simply showing the aftermath left behind.

Yarraville man Jack Gibson-Burrell was charged late last year when he was caught spray painting a “Pam the Bird” inside the City Loop.

He is set to face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a mention on August 6.

The Herald Sun is not suggesting Mr Gibson-Burrell is behind the recent tags at Flinders Street Station or in West Footscray.

The Flinders Street Station clock was stopped during its clean-up. Picture: Reddit

Police are yet to make any arrests following the vandalism at Flinders Street Station.

The $24,000 hit to the taxpayer was revealed as police called for public assistance to track down the vandals.

“Investigators are urging anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the incident on the famous clock tower to contact Crime Stoppers,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.

Graffiti removalists used abseiling equipment to clean the clock on July 12, with the station forced to stop the clock to prevent them getting caught in the hands.

“We’ve never had to stop the clock before,” a station source told the Herald Sun at the time.

New Lord Mayor Nick Reece said defacing a Melbourne icon like Flinders Street Station was the “height of idiocy”.

“Every Melburnian should feel outraged,” he said.

“It’s clear that slap-on-the-wrist punishments are not deterring these criminals.

“We also need Victoria Police to beef-up penalties and get the message out — if you tag or vandalise in the City of Melbourne, you will be caught and you will face serious consequences.”