Vandals Cheat Melville Residents of their Seats

The three memorial seats are named after admirers of Wireless Hill – Keith Prout, Vi Skyes and former City of Melville Deputy Mayor and Councillor Tom Firth.

Ms Margaret Prout, wife of the late Keith Prout, contacted the City early on the Monday morning following the event after finding out about the incident from a neighbour.

Ms Prout said the whole incident was very upsetting. “So many people have knocked on my door and called me to express their sympathy about the incident,” she said. “The chair was a special place to remember Keith and I can’t believe in today’s society that you can’t put something so simple out in the public without it being destroyed. It’s a pity they couldn’t have appreciated it like so many others do.”

The memorial seats, which were donated by the families of the deceased, suffered irreversible damage and will be immediately removed and replaced by the City of Melville early next year.

The memorial seats are wooden benches that feature a brass plaque to commemorate a family’s loved one. Wireless Hill currently has about six memorial seats.  

Mayor Russell Aubrey said it was very disappointing to the City and to the families to see this level of disrespect for property in the City of Melville. “The City takes a no-tolerance approach to destructive vandalism,” he said. “We will try to ensure something like this does not happen again.”

Anyone who may have information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or the Community Safety and Security (CSS) service on 1300 653 643.