A memorial honouring the contribution of rocker Billy Thorpe to the Sunbury Pop Festival has been vandalised for the third time in recent years.
A fortnight ago, a vandal attempted to peel back the plaque from its base overlooking the site of the 1970s festivals in Diggers Rest.
The plaque was the third at the site after the original was stolen in 2012 (it later turned up in a Sunbury charity bin more than 18 months later), and another replica was stolen about a year ago.
Sunbury woman and founder of the Sunbury Pop/Rock Festivals 1972-1975 Facebook page, Debra Sweeney, said the recent vandalism from Holden Reserve was disrespectful to Thorpe’s family and a generation of fans.
“It’s very disappointing,” Ms Sweeney said. “A lot of people are disgusted and feel that it’s very disrespectful to [Thorpe] and his wife, Lynn.
“Either people are wanting it for a souvenir, or people just want the metal to sell.
“I found the original stolen four years ago … around the same time the miniature railway nearby had its fittings and brass parts stolen, and then the plaques from gravestones at Bulla cemetery were stolen as well.”
She said Thorpe was regarded at the “king of rock”.
“He was very influential at that time to a lot of young people,” she said. “His performance at Sunbury was unbelievable.”
Ms Sweeney said that a better and more secure way of protecting the marker was needed – or it could be time for a more lavish statue or museum to safeguard the slice of Australian music history, she said.
“I think we should have a statue of Billy Thorpe,” Ms Sweeney said.
“He made such an impression of people back then and I’ve seen similar tributes for the Bee Gees and they are done beautifully.”
