LAKE Macquarie police are investigating the theft of about $1000 worth of newly planted shrubs from the Catalina war memorial at Rathmines on Thursday.
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Penny Furner, of Rathmines Catalina Memorial Park Association, said locals had been riled by the theft.
“People are so up in arms about this,” Ms Furner said.
“The council garden team had done such a beautiful job to re-plant the whole area, but then overnight someone has come in and done this.”
Among the plants stolen was new rosemary propagated from a bush brought back from Gallipoli in 1915 by a Digger.
About 12 salvia bushes were also removed from the side of the walkway to the memorial.
Ms Furner said the original rosemary bush that occupied the site had to be removed because of its decline. Some of the newly planted rosemary remains in the garden.
The salvias feature a bright red flower.
Ms Furner said she and other locals were concerned about the remaining plants on site, so they now regularly visited the memorial every day to keep an eye on the gardens.
It’s not the first time the war memorial has been targeted by thieves.
“It has happened before. Out on the road, several plants were taken from there a few months ago when the council re-did that area, “ Ms Furner said.
There were no plans to replace the stolen plants “at this stage”, Ms Furner said, and it’s believed that the plants were difficult to source.
Ms Furner is the daughter of former Rathmines Commanding Officer, Group Captain AGH (Attie) Wearne.
As a child, Ms Furner lived with her parents in a hut at the base where the Rathmines war memorial now stands.
