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Call To Community To Identify Botanic Gardens VandalsPolice and Latrobe City Council have called on the community to help identify a vandal or vandals who destroyed a number of trees in the Moe Botanic Gardens with an axe earlier this week. By Latrobe City - 21st September 2007 - Back to News Nine maturing specimen trees with a replacement value of many thousands of dollars were destroyed by vandalism on Monday and Tuesday. Each of the trees had been hacked through using a hand axe, leaving just a bare stump remaining.
Latrobe City Mayor, Cr Tony Zimora, described the act of vandalism as senseless and soul destroying.
"The Moe Botanic Gardens are a community resource cherished by many who use the attractive parkland for their own passive recreational needs. People take great pleasure in walking through the gardens alone or with friends or a pet, and enjoy the changing seasons displayed through the tree, spring flowers and autumn tones, which make the botanic gardens so attractive. An attack on these gardens is an attack on our community," Cr Zimora said.
Cr Zimora said the nine specimen trees included a pink flowering cherry Prunus serrulate, commonly known as the ‘Kanzan’; and Pyrus ussuriensis commonly called the ‘Manchurian Pear’. "The loss of these trees will be heartbreaking to many in the community who have worked to have the botanic gardens established, have seen them develop into the attraction they are today, and volunteer their time to further their community through the gardens.
"Somebody must have seen someone brandishing an axe or tomahawk in or near the botanic gardens, or seen suspicious behaviour in or around the gardens on Monday or Tuesday. I urge anyone with information to come forward so that these attacks can be prevented from reoccurring."
Cr Zimora said a security company and police are making random checks on the botanic gardens in an effort to apprehend vandals. A number of citizens have also indicated their intent to keep an eye on the gardens. "If apprehended, council will be prosecuting the offender to the full extent of the law. The community does not expect us to be lenient in cases such as this," Cr Zimora said.
"Council’s parks and gardens team will be removing debris and grinding the stumps of the destroyed trees in the next few days. All of the trees will be replaced, but it has to be said that this is at considerable cost," Cr Zimora added.
Senior Sergeant Chris Pegg of Moe Police said that police relied on information from the public in these cases. "The gardens belong to the community and we can help the community by acting on information supplied to us – someone out there will know who these idiots are."
Persons with information on the vandalism can contact the Moe Police Station, telephone 5127 2222; or Latrobe City Council, telephone 1300 367 700.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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