Historical Brisbane plaques are going missing at an increasing rate, with fears they are being sold on the black market for scrap.
Figures obtained by this masthead show an almost 140 per cent year-on-year increase in Brisbane City Council-owned plaques going missing last year.
And that was just plaques in council-controlled locations, with evidence that even more have disappeared.
Former Channel 7 journalist Peter Doherty, the driving force behind the bulletin’s Flashback history segment, was a frequent visitor to the Department of Transport and Main Roads-controlled Queensport Rocks Park at Murarrie, beneath the southern end of the Gateway Bridges.
There, he noticed a 1986 plaque commemorating the Duke of Edinburgh’s opening of the original Gateway Bridge had been removed over the Christmas-New Year period.
“On one visit, the plaque was there, and on the next, it was gone,” he said.
Also removed was a bronze plaque commemorating then-main roads minister Craig Wallace’s opening of the park in 2011.
A TMR spokesman said the department was investigating the circumstances of the plaques’ removal, which he confirmed appeared to be acts of theft.
“There are no planned works or scheduled maintenance activities that required the plaques to be removed,” he said.
The Queensport Rocks Park thefts were part of a wider trend across Brisbane.
A council spokesman said the number of plaques going missing had increased dramatically in the past few years, rising from 11 between 2020 and 2022, to 31 between 2023 and 2025.
The biggest jump was last year, when 19 plaques were stolen in Brisbane, up from eight in 2024 – an increase of 137.5 per cent.
“In each case when a plaque goes missing, we replace the plaques ourselves or work with The National Servicemen’s Association of Australia. This cost council around $8000 last year,” the council spokesman said.
“While bronze plaques weather the elements better in the long term, we have found aluminium plaques are less likely to be stolen.”
While there was no established motive for the thefts, Waste Recycling Industry Queensland chief executive Alison Price said there was an established black market in scrap metal.
“Metal theft is a huge problem, and I would say it’s increasing,” she said.
“There are all these laws and requirements that legitimate businesses have to follow, but no one really enforces or follows up the people and the organisations that are less legitimate – those cowboy operators doing the wrong thing, willing to accept someone’s plaque off a grave to recycle.
“When you’re talking about a plaque from the base of the Gateway Bridge that has engravings about the Duke of Edinburgh, that is obviously stolen to any legitimate metal recycler.
“And no legitimate metal recycler wants to accept stolen goods.”
Earlier this month, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli slammed “lowlife” thieves who stole copper wiring, affecting communications in areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Koji.
Australian Council of Recycling chief executive Suzanne Toumbourou said it was a widespread issue across the country.
“It’s a merciless activity to do that, and particularly to be stealing from vulnerable communities who are already suffering,” she said.
“The thing is, with these materials, they do reveal a market of illegitimate activity, including not just those who are stealing the material, but those who are receiving it.”
For Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, it was a case of Brisbane’s history being lost.
“These plaques recognise moments and people that hold real meaning for Brisbane families and communities,” he said.
“When a plaque goes missing, we lose a visible link to our city’s story and a place for reflection intended to last for generations.
“Bronze plaques aren’t scrap metal, they’re used in our parks and memorials because they stand the test of time for generations to reflect on.”
Doherty said it was a shame to see the plaques disappear.
“This is quite literally the theft of Brisbane’s history,” he said.
“The real tragedy is that many of these plaques will never be recreated because the original details and, in some cases, the organisations responsible for them have been lost to history.”
Comment was sought from the Queensland Police Service, which was unaware of the thefts.
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