A cemetery that includes some of Port Lincoln's most notable figures and tells stories of Australia's colonial history has been targeted by vandals, with up to 25 graves desecrated.
Vandalism at a cemetery in Port Lincoln saw more than 25 graves smashed and headstones toppled. SAPOL is investigating the damage and the council says restoration work will be costly.
Fourth-generation Port Lincoln resident Michael Young rushed to check on his ancestors' graves when he heard what had happened."I definitely panicked a little bit when I saw it on Facebook."Mr Young recently discovered his connection to the cemetery after he found out that his forebears William and Alice Argent were buried there.The Argents were born in the 1850s and settled in Port Lincoln after migrating from England, where they had eleven children.
"This is where the people who built everything we have are buried, and it's just kind of left to rot," hesaid.Port Lincoln's oldest cemetery contains the remains of early settlers and Indigenous people dating back to the 1840s. She also participated in patriotic processions during World War I and had the honour of heading the first Australia Day local procession,Mr Sawyer said about 40 Indigenous people were known to be buried at the Happy Valley cemetery site, some without headstones.
Vandalism History Early Settlers Indigenous History SAPOL Happy Valley Cemetery Desecration
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