UPDATE SATURDAY 9AM: A Winmalee woman will face court later this month charged with damaging the sandstone war memorial in Springwood.
The 21-year-old woman attended Springwood Police Station yesterday where she was arrested and charged with destroy or damage property. She is due to face to Penrith Local Court on Thursday, January 28.
Blue Mountains Police thanked members of the public for their assistance with the investigation.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 1: The Springwood War Memorial has been trashed.
On New Year's Day, Springwood residents awoke to discover stones from the memorial's magnificent arch lying discarded on the ground and other sandstone broken.
Springwood RSL Sub-Branch president Jim McKinnon said he was very disappointed, and had reported the incident to police.
"It's not what I expected to be doing on New Year's Day," he said.
Blue Mountains Police said they are treating the damage as intentional, but cautioned the cause is uncertain at this time.
Mr McKinnon said the sub-branch would be exploring funding avenues to rebuild the memorial, and would consider installing CCTV cameras. He thanked the community for their support.
Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill was "beyond words", but expressed his deepest sorrow to the Mountains' veterans.
"For our community, this wonderful memorial will rise again. I will ask our staff to work with police, gather CCTV or whatever evidence we can," he said.
"If anyone has any information, please call the police. We need to find out what has happened here."
The war memorial was upgraded in 2017, thanks to a $38,500 state government grant, to make it more accessible and safer for those who visit.
Prior to this, the 1980s were the last time significant work occurred on the memorial. The stone archway had been knocked down by vandals and had to be rebuilt.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact Springwood Police Station on 4751 0299 or Crime Stoppers on 1800333000. Please quote reference E77642246.