Toppled Queen Victoria statue returns to park after activist vandalism

A $60,000 restoration has brought Queen Victoria’s statue back to Eastern Park, more than a year after activists used extreme methods to damage the 112-year-old monument.

A statue of Queen Victoria, which was targeted by activists last year, has returned to the gardens where it once stood.

Crews were on site at Eastern Park on Friday afternoon with the restored Queen Victoria statue ready to be reinstalled on what had been an empty podium for well over a year and a half.

A pair of vandalism attacks in March saw the statue was physically cut off its plinth and significantly damaged, resulting in its removal to undertake delicate restoration works in Melbourne.

The statue’s crown and head required particular attention, with a new coat of paint and wax also applied to give the monarch a matte look.

Crews were working on the screw holes on the plinth about 1.30pm, with the statue expected to be installed by the evening.

Crews were working to return the statue to its plinth on Saturday afternoon.

It was reported in January that the restoration works were expected to cost $60,000, most of which was to be covered by insurance.

The statue has stood in the park since 1912.

The first attack on March 1 2024 saw the words “The colony will fall” spray painted on the statue’s plinth.

Less than a fortnight later, the statue was felled and its base defaced again, this time with: “The colony can fall”.

A video of the March 14 attack, posted the same day on the Instagram page of Civil Resistance Youth Movement, showed a car winch being used to topple the statue.

The accompanying caption said: “The legacy of the genocidal colonial figures will be remembered as one of shame”.

“Every day, more of the country is waking up to the reality that this colony can, must, and will fall, as so many have before,” it concluded.

Upon its return, Mayor Stretch Kontelj said security around the statue would be improved through the addition of lighting and CCTV.

“Repair of a statue of this size takes time and expert skills,” he said.

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Originally published as Toppled Queen Victoria statue returns to park after activist vandalism