Restoration relief after ‘idiot scum’ target cemetery

Grieving families will not be charged to replace more than 80 memorial plaques ripped from graves by callous thieves.

Vandals ripped about 84 brass plaques from headstones and other monuments at Quorn cemetery, about 300 kilometers north of Adelaide, leaving many resting places bare.

Flinders Ranges Council mayor Ken Anderson said a member of staff noticed the damage while walking through the cemetery at around 6am on Friday.

“It’s terrifying to realize that some… stupid scumbags are going around doing something so destructive,” Mr Anderson told AAP on Sunday. he said.

It is estimated that the plates were stolen to be sold as scrap metal.

The value of brass scrap varies between $3.50 and $9.50 per kilogram, depending on its cleanliness and grade.

Mr Anderson said he spent Saturday at the cemetery meeting families who had flocked there to see if their loved ones’ resting places had been affected.

He welcomed news that the South Australian government would partner with the council to replace stolen items.

Mr Anderson said many families were traumatized by crime and faced the added stress of having to remember what was written on number plates.

Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas said the state government would work with local authorities to ensure families do not have to deal with the financial burden of the “shameful act”.

“No family suffering the pain of a loved one should be forced to relive that pain because of the despicable actions of criminals,” he said in a statement Sunday.

The cost of replacing the plaques and replacing the destroyed headstones is expected to exceed $40,000.

Quorn is a small town in the Flinders Ranges, approximately 40 km northeast of Port Augusta.

South Australian Police are investigating the incident and have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.