Alarm raised in hunt for school bell

– Dion Teasdale
POLICE are appealing to the public for help to locate a historic bell stolen from Millwarra Primary School.
The large brass bell, which has stood out the front of the school’s Warburton East campus for almost 75 years, was stolen over the Melbourne Cup long weekend.
Senior Constable Doug Fisher from Warburton police said the bell was removed from the school some time between Monday, 31 October and Tuesday, 1 November.
He said police were following a number of leads and had already interviewed one young person in relation to the theft.
“We believe there was a group of young men on the school premises during the hours of Monday evening and early Tuesday morning,” he said. “There was evidence to suggest that the group were intoxicated and we are hoping to speak to all the members of the group.”
Sen Const Fisher said police had contacted scrap metal dealers in the area to alert them to the theft.
“At this stage we are not sure if someone has taken the bell for scrap metal, or if they took it as a trophy, or to be a nuisance, but we are following all leads,” he said.
The school’s Warburton East campus coordinator, Jill Cooper, said staff and students were distressed by the theft.
She said the bell, which is 30cm in diameter and about 50 cm tall, had great sentimental value.
“The bell was originally located at the O’Shannassay Reservoir and was donated to the school in 1931,” she said.
“It was used as the school bell until 1993 and was once the Warburton East Primary school logo.”
Ms Cooper said this was not the first time the bell had been removed from the school.
“On Melbourne Cup weekend three years ago we found the bell sitting on the road out the front of the school,” she said.
“After that we secured it with a bolt and lock to prevent it happening again, but that hasn’t worked. We are all feeling pretty disappointed that someone wanted to steal part of the school’s history and we’d like to see the bell returned.”
Sen Const Fisher said anyone with information about the bell should contact Warburton police on 5966 2006.