'Really disgusted': Vandals desecrate last memory of dad
Two daughters have discovered their father's memorial plaque has been vandalised with spray-paint.
Gladstone
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gladstone. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE daughters of a man who died in the carpark of the Kin Kora McDonald's almost three years ago have been left disgusted by disrespectful vandals.
On Tuesday, daughter Caitlin Pugh said she and her sister had been visiting the memorial they had put up for their father under a tree outside the fast food restaurant when they discovered their father's plaque had been vandalised with spray-paint.
"We went there for lunch (when) we saw it. It looks like three people have tagged it and they've coloured in the picture of a train and and the word 'love'," Caitlin said.
"We were really quite shocked, we've never experienced this.
"It's (the plaque) not doing anyone any harm, it's a memorial, it's for him to be remembered not damaged or vandalised.
"I don't know why this would happen to us."
Vaughan Pugh had worked as an Aurizon train driver before he died of a "massive cardiac arrest" on February 4, 2015, Caitlin said.
"He literally just pulled up the car in the carpark and died," she said.
"I wasn't there but my mum and sisters were."
Caitlin said it had originally been her sister Amanda's idea to install the plaque for their father.
"We have his ashes, so because dad's at home, he's not buried anywhere," Caitlin said.
"We asked the manager and owner of that store (McDonald's Kin Kora) if we could put a little plaque on the rock there because that was where he died.
"We check it every time we visit just to make sure it's OK and it hasn't fallen off the rock or anything."
Despite doing their best to try and clean off the graffiti, the sisters have been unable to return the plaque to its untarnished state.
"We're very angry and really disgusted with the Gladstone region," Amanda Pugh said.
Caitlin agreed and said she "was not very impressed".
"I wouldn't do that to someone, why should they do it to us? It's not nice."
She said her efforts to clean the plaque would continue until the spray-paint was removed.
"I think I'm going to have to call whoever made the plaque and ask how to get it off and keep it from becoming like this again," she said.
Police have yet to be contacted.
Originally published as 'Really disgusted': Vandals desecrate last memory of dad
‘Jam a double-barrel in your mouth’: Man’s threat to his dad
A Queensland man sent a video to his father saying “see how you feel when I jam a double-barrel in your mouth”. Here’s why he did it.
Toddler alleged murder case to finally hear expert evidence
Experts will give evidence at a special hearing about how a Queensland toddler is believed to have died.
Readers share incredible personal Anzac Day stories
We all will observe the minute’s silence on Friday in our own special way, so have asked our key columnists, senior writers, editors, and now readers, to share where their minds go during that sacred sixty seconds.
GUIDE: Where to find Central Qld services on Anzac Day
Your guide to Anzac Day services, marches and events across Central Queensland.
Full list: How Labor’s broken health promise will impact your nearest hospital
Qld’s flagship health infrastructure plan has been ripped up and redrawn after a damning report prompted a full-scale replan of nearly every major hospital project, causing years of delays.
‘Trained chippy’ rises to the highest positions at council
Rob Huth started out at Gladstone Regional Council in 1986 as a “trained chippy” on a 12-month contract and ended up rising to its highest positions.