A Hunter woman says a case of vandalism at a Muswellbrook cemetery - in which the name plaque was removed from her late mother's headstone along with more than two dozen others - was "extremely heartless".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Police are investigating the damage at St Albans on the afternoon of July 14.
Tahlay Bird's mum Kelly Evans - well-known in the Muswellbrook area as 'Digga' - died of an asthma attack at the age of 28 in 2005, when Tahlay was seven years old.
Ms Bird said a man dropped her mum outside the hospital, knocked on the door and left the scene, before a nurse found her. She was in a coma for two days before the decision was made to turn off her life support.
Since then, the cemetery has been a place for Ms Bird and her children to reflect on their lost mother and grandmother.
She heard about the damage from her twin sister, who found the plaque was missing. It turned out that 26 of them had been pulled from headstones throughout the cemetery.
"I was in disbelief until she sent me a photo," Ms Bird said. "There's an extremely heartless and disrespectful person in this town."
IN THE NEWS:
- Newcastle music scene in mourning after Roy Paine's death
- 'Beyond the call of duty': Hunter firefighters recognised for heroism
- What's on this weekend in Newcastle and the Hunter
- Key findings from the ABS mental health survey
- Tinkler must find $250,000 to fight Whitehaven for 26 million shares
- Homeless pandemic: young Hunter mum forced to move every two nights
- Wheels in motion to link Charlestown CBD with Fernleigh Track
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark: newcastleherald.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News