Stolen mortar returns to memorial
A mortar launcher stolen from a South Australian RSL memorial has been found on a roadside.
It had been taken from Murray Bridge RSL but two days before Anzac Day, but was found at about 10.30am today on Westbrook Rd at Tailem Bend.
The German war relic is worth more than $40,000 and it is the centerpiece of a new memorial at the Murray Bridge RSL.
Ben McCulloch spotted the mortar launcher by the side of a road on the outskirts of Tailem Bend.
“I’d say someone’s panicked about it and I suppose they’ve dumped it on a day when someone could find it, I suppose,” he said.
Fortuitously, he is a tow-truck driver and loaded it the mortar to deliver it in person to the RSL.
“There was that much pressure out there that this mortar was going to be found, to have it picked up today, found and picked up today, is magnificent,” Murray Bridge RSL president Ray Duthie said.
Locals gathered at the RSL were elated with its recovery, as many had pitched in to restore the memorial.
“Very proud, it was a good feeling, it was a great feeling, perfect time for it – perfect time,” one said.
It is unknown if the theft was a prank or whether the thieves just had a change of heart, but police still want to hear from anyone with information.
