UNLUCKY ED HIT AGAIN
A STATUE of King Edward VII in central Geelong has been vandalised again in an apparent anti-colonial statement.
The face, hands and exposed kneecaps of the monarch, who reigned over Australia between 1901 and 1910, were spray-painted black this week.
It is unclear what message the vandals were attempting to convey but comes only months after statues of Captain James Cook in Sydney and Melbourne were smothered in pink paint.
Municipal workers covered up the statue, located on the corner of Moorabool and Brougham streets, with canvas to prevent further damage.
City of Greater Geelong investment and attraction director Tim Ellis said it was repaired yesterday afternoon at a cost to the city of about $200.
“We promptly notified a conservator who spent approximately 45 minutes cleaning the statue and was able to restore it back to a satisfactory condition,” Mr Ellis said.
“Thanks to a quick response we have been able to minimise the costs of cleaning it and prevent any further damage.”
Mr Ellis said it was standard policy to respond to vandalism by covering it as soon as possible.
“In this instance it was essential to cover the statue to prevent its surface being exposed to prolonged sunlight, which can make vandalism much harder to clean. Further damage could also have been caused by people unknowingly spreading the material around the statue.”
It is not the first time the statue has been vandalised.
In May 2015, a vandal marked the edifice with pink daubings on the face and head and scrawled “Bitch I’m fabulous” on the base.
A driver veered off Eastern Beach Road in 1999 and crashed into the statue, destroying its head as well as an arm and a leg.
Businessman Frank Costa helped to bankroll its restoration by sculptor Jane Valentine with the memorial returned to public display in 2014.
Mr Ellis said the municipality spends about $250,000 each year cleaning graffiti from council buildings and assets.
“It is disappointing when any of our community assets are damaged and our whole community bears the cost of repairing these important cultural assets,” he said.
“Fortunately, it is rare that public art sculptures and memorials are deliberately targeted by vandals.”