Vandals trash Toowoomba’s Drayton Cemetery, 300-plus headstones, gravesites damaged in one night
A shocking act of vandalism at one of Queensland’s oldest cemeteries has left more than 300 graves desecrated and a $500,000 damage bill.
Toowoomba
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Toowoomba’s mayor has slammed the desecration of more than 300 graves at the city’s largest and oldest cemetery, which caused more than $500,000 in damages in one night.
The local council is counting the cost of the “disgraceful” incident at Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery, which reportedly occurred between 6pm Friday and 7am Saturday.
More than 300 gravesites, headstones and other monuments are believed to have been damaged or destroyed during the night of mayhem, including several newly-installed memorials worth in excess of $20,000.
The heritage-listed Drayton Cemetery was first surveyed in 1850 and is one of Queensland’s oldest surviving cemeteries, with some of the sites destroyed more than 100 years old.
While full clean-up estimates are still being calculated, the Toowoomba Regional Council estimates the damage could reach well into six figures.
Toowoomba Mayor Geoff McDonald called it a “criminal act of disrespect” that had caused heartbreak and trauma to loved ones of the deceased.
“This is disgraceful, disappointing and disgusting,” he said.
“Such criminal acts of disrespect not only undermine the sanctity of a place meant for remembrance and reflection but also inflict deep emotional pain on the families of those interred.
“Memorial headstones serve as a tribute to loved ones, and their destruction is an affront to the memories they represent.”
Mr McDonald urged anyone with information or footage to report it to PoliceLink on 131 444 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
“The financial cost will be extraordinary, but it’s also the emotional burden that this will place on those families,” he said.
“Our community should not stand for it. We’re a compassionate community, we look out for each other.
“This is not us, this is not the Toowoomba region, we’re better than this.”
Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki also expressed his dismay on social media.
“There are no words. But if there were, all that can be said is that you can’t get lower than grave desecration,” he wrote.
“For criminals to target the sacred resting place of our community’s departed loved ones is unforgivable.”
Queensland’s opposition leader David Crisafulli also weighed in, calling the incident the end result of a “broken system”.
“This is a disgrace,” he said.
“To see headstones and crosses smashed and discarded shows why we are fighting for consequences for actions.”
Police have been contacted for comment.
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