Uproo-ted roo to be roo-paired
After - photo courtesy of Paul Johnson
Port Hedland’s iconic iron kangaroo sculpture, which eyes the roundabout on the corner of McGregor Street and Cooke Point Drive, was accidentally knocked over by a car last weekend but is set to return to its former glory.
Roo-mours which quickly circulated via email and Facebook over the weekend, that the late night incident was a case of “reckless vandalism”, were incorrect.
Port Hedland Police sergeant Jason Gentili was on duty and patrolling with a colleague in the area at the time and came upon the car, driver and toppled roo shortly after the incident occurred.
Sgt Gentili said that the 20 year old male driver explained that as he was driving along McGregor Street towards the roundabout and preparing to turn right onto Cooke Point Drive, his brakes malfunctioned.
To avoid going over the roundabout, he had to veer to the the wrong side of it, but then came out of the kerb and hit the kangaroo.
“We stopped and spoke to him and he was not intoxicated at all – triple zeros,” Sgt Gentili said.
The police found no evidence of speeding either.
They also checked the car and, whilst it appeared to be fine, Sgt Gentili added that police aren’t roadside mechanics to know for sure.
The young man’s response to his actions appeared quite upstanding.
“Believe it or not, he Facebooked the mayor at 3am that morning, advising her that he’d done this and was prepared to assist with payment,” Sgt Gentili said.
The police initially moved the kangaroo into the bushes to keep it safe as their vehicles aren’t tailor made to fit oversized metal wildlife, but someone evidently pulled it back out over the weekend, where it sat until a truck roo-moved the large creature on Monday afternoon.
Fortunately, the kangaroo will bounce back soon.
Mayor Kelly Howlett, recipient of the early morning Facebook message said, “Yes, the person involved in the accident did make contact with myself very early, unprompted and offered to contribute financially to the repair/replacement of the kangaroo sculpture.
“The Town of Port Hedland is currently investigating all options for this popular public art piece,” she said.
Tags: Echo, hedland, News, Pilbara, pilbaranews, Port Hedland
