Owners of Big Rocking Horse start auction after road signs were crudely defaced
Owners of the iconic Big Rocking Horse have started an auction after several road signs were defaced by foul-mouthed vandals.
SA News
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The owners of South Australia’s iconic Big Rocking Horse tourist attraction have been forced to auction off vandalised road signs that were too expensive to fix.
Co-owner Mell Penno took to social media to share one of the damaged ‘The Big Rocking Horse – 300m on Left’ signs, which are used to direct drivers to the popular Gumeracha site.
Vandals have now twice defaced the signs, changing it to ‘The Big F**king Horse – 300m on Left’.
“Our roadside sign was stolen a few months ago and we were asked to pay for it if we wanted it to be replaced, we said we’d rather put our money back into park upgrades,” the post on Thursday said.
An auction for two of the vandalised signs kicked off on Friday morning, hoping to raise about $500 for the Adelaide Hills Wildlife Rescue and Rehab charity.
Andrew ‘Cosi’ Costello was one of the first bidders with $120, but he was quickly outbid by another bidder who placed the highest current bid of $250.
Ms Penno said five or six signs had been stolen from the business over the years, which forced the previous owners to replace them.
“It’s a chain reaction and huge cost because the money we’d use to pay for it, we could use that for something else,” she said.
The Department for Infrastructure and Transport had quoted $3000 to replace the signs.
“You’d think the council would help because it’s an iconic tourist attraction,” Ms Penno said.
“They offered to pay for installation if we paid for the signs.
“It’s a good warning sign because if drivers are going past the horse, and they quickly turn their heads, they could have an accident.”
Last month, thieves ransacked their Gumeracha shop and stole several goods, including sanitary products, skincare, candles and jams worth about $200.
Ms Penno said while $200 didn’t sound like much, it was very damaging to the business budget, and the team who worked “seven days a week, up to 15 hours a day, rain, hail, or shine”.
“Things like this have a huge impact and cause a chain reaction,” she said.
“Because not only do we lose profit but so do the small businesses we buy from because I don’t want to buy things that are expensive and small and easy to steal.”
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Originally published as Owners of Big Rocking Horse start auction after road signs were crudely defaced
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