Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs “This isn’t just an act of vandalism or graffiti. This is an attack against the Ballarat community. The gardens are a much-loved community location for everybody.“It’s only a matter of time before you’re arrested and put before the courts. I’d suggest you expedite that and return the heads to where they need to be.”Workers placed fencing around the damaged statues on Friday.Credit: Justin McManusHall appealed for anyone with CCTV footage or information about the vandalism to come forward.Prime Ministers Avenue is on Lake Wendouree, about 100 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, and contains a collection of busts of the first 29 prime ministers of Australia, each featuring a bronze cast mounted on a polished granite pedestal.Sculptor Peter Nicholson, the artist behind several of the busts, including Keating’s and Rudd’s, said the sculptures would have been difficult to destroy.“It is very upsetting … especially for the people of Ballarat,” Nicholson told ABC Radio Melbourne.The bust of Paul Keating, created by Peter Nicholson, before the vandalism this week.“[The avenue is] very popular. It’s got every prime minister since federation, and it’s the only one of its kind in Australia. It’s just a disgraceful thing that it’s been vandalised in this way.”The Keating statue had been vandalised before and was reinforced with steel through the neck, Nicholson said.“I don’t know how [the vandals] did it,” he said.“There have been various bits of vandalism on them, so they’re very strongly made, and very strongly secured.”Nicholson said he had previously given moulds of his statues to Ballarat Council.Police urged anyone who saw people acting suspiciously near the statues to come forward.The Ballarat Botanical Garden Foundation condemned the vandalism, saying it was a “severe blow to not only the community but to all who work and care for the gardens”.“Like many members of the Ballarat community, we are deeply saddened to hear of the vandalism of Prime Ministers Avenue today,” the foundation said.Walkers pass one of the statues on Friday.Credit: Justin McManus“The avenue is a source of pride for the local community and has been a site of national significance since it was opened by the governor of Victoria in 1940.”The exhibit has long been the site of vandalism attempts, with Tony Abbott and John Howard’s busts sprayed with red paint in 2020.The vandalism happened days before Australia Day, which is on Sunday.The often-defaced statue of Captain Cook at Catani Gardens in St Kilda was under guard on Friday morning ahead of the long weekend.The Captain Cook statue in St Kilda’s Catani Gardens under guard on Friday.Credit: Wayne TaylorThis time last year, the metal statue was sawn off at the ankles, with vandals spray-painting “the colony will fall” on the granite plinth.In Sydney on Friday morning, police were called to a Captain Cook statue in Randwick in the eastern suburbs after its nose and hand were broken off and red paint was splashed on its pedestal.“NSW Police encourages members of the public to report any suspicious behaviour around monuments and significant sights across the Australia Day long weekend,” officers said in a statement.With AAPOur Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.
