Rolf Harris' city plaque gone

The City of Perth has removed Rolf Harris’s most visible honour from St Georges Terrace in the latest move to purge any memory of the disgraced entertainer from his home turf.

The council voted to remove the CBD plaque less than a fortnight after Harris was sentenced to five years and nine months in jail for indecent assault against four women.

Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi says the plaque was removed early on Wednesday morning to avoid inconveniencing pedestrians during peak times.

The spot outside the BankWest building where it used to lie has been neatly covered with pavers.

The City of Perth says the plaque has been put into storage.

Perth’s decision follows similar moves by other councils, universities and groups both in WA and around the world that have stripped honours from Harris in the wake of his conviction.

The Town of Bassendean voted to strip Harris of his freeman status and to remove his art and a bicentennial plaque from the town. The plaque was stolen before it could be removed.

Paintings by Harris have also been taken down at Perth Modern School and Edith Cowan University, which will decide next month (August) whether to also strip him of his honorary degree. Universities in the UK have already done so.

Harris has also been stripped of his British Academy of Film and Television Arts Fellowship and his place in the Australian Recording Industry Association’s Hall of Fame.

The fate of his Order of Australia, Centenary Medal and Order of the British Empire honours have yet to be decided.

The Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley will vote on the removal of a plaque, plinth and tree commemorating Harris’ 1986 visit to Kununurra.