By WAYNE THOMPSON
The soldier in Mercer's war memorial is missing its head after an attack by vandals.
Upset residents hold little hope for the return of the head of the statue, which has symbolised the Franklin village's mourning for those killed in the world wars for nearly 80 years. They fear the head was smashed after reports of plaster shards being found a fortnight ago on a service road near State Highway 1, which passes near the memorial.
"The statue had its head lopped off around seven years ago but luckily we found it and managed to get it reattached," said resident Diana Dixon, who tends the little garden around the memorial.
"This time though we need help from the community."
The call has gone out for the services of a sculptor to replace the head and for photographs showing the soldier's facial features to guide the restructure.
Residents did not believe the soldier's face was modelled on an actual person from the district, said a council spokeswoman.
If no pictures showing the face can be obtained, the soldier will have a "new" face.
Residents of the village, between Pokeno and Meremere, are proud of the memorial, which they regard as unique.
The statue of the soldier, wearing a peaked cap instead of the "lemon squeezer", stood on top of a 3m high gun turret from the SS Pioneer, a gunboat used on the Waikato River during fighting with Maori warriors at Meremere and Rangiriri in 1863.
Carl Cain, president of the Pukekohe and District Returned Services Association, said he did not believe the statue had been decapitated as a political protest.
"It's just an act of sheer vandalism," said Mr Cain. He blamed people from out of town.
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