ABOUT $900 was raised through crowd-funding to replace a Hawkesbury Council banner promoting same-sex marriage, after it was stolen on Sunday.
Hawkesbury Council put the banner up on Tuesday, September 12, following a resolution of Council.
The banner says “Hawkesbury City Council supports marriage equality vote yes” and was displayed on the George Street side of the Council chambers.
However, on Sunday night, one person took it upon themselves to take the banner down.
Hawkesbury Mayor Mary Lyons-Buckett was not pleased when she found out the banner was stolen.
“Last Sunday’s theft of the banner, which was installed on Tuesday, 12 September, has only made people even more aware and supportive of our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual community in the Hawkesbury,” she said.
After the banner was stolen, a crowd-funding campaign was started, which raised $893 to cover the cost of replacing it, and the hiring of a cherry picker to install it at a higher point than previously.
The original cost of creating and hanging the banner was $660, with the money for that being donated to Council according to general manager Peter Conroy.
The Mayor said Hawkesbury Council supported same-sex marriage and encouraged people to vote ‘yes’ in the survey.
“My heartfelt thanks to our wonderful Hawkesbury community for their generous and immediate support in crowdfunding for the stolen Marriage Equality banner,” she said.
The Mayor said the police were investigating the theft.
