Hobart council workers clean what remains of Crowther statue after it was tagged by graffiti

The box covering the plinth of the controversial Crowther statue — that was toppled earlier this year — was tagged by graffiti.

The controversial William Crowther Statue at Franklin square, Hobart. Picture: Linda Higginson

Council workers have removed graffiti from the plinth of the statue of William Crowther, which once stood in Franklin Square.

The statue is controversial because the former Premier it depicted was known for mutilating the remains of Aboriginal man William Lanne, stealing his skull and sending it to the Royal College of Surgeons in London.

The bronze part of the statue was supposed to be removed by the council, but it was cut off at the ankles by vandals, who also spray painted ‘what goes around’ on the sandstone plinth in large red letters.

A box containing the base of the Crowther Statue in Franklin Square, Hobart on Tuesday 19th November 2024. Picture: Linda Higginson

What remained of the monument, the ankles and feet, were removed in September, to be reattached to the rest of the statue.

A large wooden box was re-erected around it, which is what has been visible to the public for several months.

On Tuesday, council workers returned to the site at Franklin Square to remove the graffiti.

Most of the costs to repair the statue, including the cleaning of the plinth, are covered by the council’s insurance.

The council will later install temporary signage to explain why the statue has been removed, and in the future, some sort of permanent artwork to explain the story behind the statue will be put in Franklin Square.

The bronze part of the statue is in the council’s collection in a “safe place”.

A box containing the base of the Crowther Statue in Franklin Square, Hobart on Tuesday 19th November 2024. Picture: Linda Higginson