Council appeals for help to retrieve stolen Jezzine artwork
Date published: 18 February 2016
Council is calling for public assistance after the theft of a metal sculpture of crows from Jezzine Barracks over the weekend.
Creator of the artwork, Rurik Henry said the theft was devastating and he appealed for the items to be returned so they could be repaired and restored for public enjoyment.
“This sculpture represents the tale of how the crow turned black, as told to me by Aboriginal elder Mr Russell Butler Sr,” Mr Henry said.
“As an artist I was very proud of the works as they were my first public art commission.
“If the crows are returned, I can weld the legs back together and restore the artwork.
“They are unique and if I had to remake them from scratch, they would never quite be the same.”
Manager of Gallery Services Shane Fitzgerald said it was very disappointing that someone would show such a lack of respect for public art.
“The Jezzine Barracks redevelopment is an award-winning project and the public art that was created as part of the redevelopment was a major factor in achieving that recognition,” Mr Fitzgerald said.
“A number of indigenous and non-indigenous artists worked together to create something quite unique at Jezzine for everyone’s enjoyment and to have them damaged or stolen is a real blow to the community,” Mr Fitzgerald said.
“We had artwork stolen during last year’s Strand Ephemera, some of which was recovered by police and some that was anonymously returned.
“These works take enormous amounts of time, energy and money to create and we would expect people treat them with respect.”
Healthy and Safe City Committee chair Cr Gary Eddiehausen said council was assisting police with the investigation.
“We are reviewing CCTV footage of the area,” Cr Eddiehausen said.
“We appeal to the public for the information to assist in retrieving this sculpture.
“If anyone saw or heard anything, or knows about the whereabouts of the artwork, we urge them to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or to contact council.
He said the artwork could also be returned anonymously to Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in Flinders St or to police.
