Public appeal for stolen weathervane at Mission to Seafarers

A 100 year-old copper weathervane in the form of a galleon-style sailing ship has been stolen from its rightful place atop the historic Mission to Seafarers building in Docklands. 

The weathervane was discovered as missing on Sunday, March 6, and is believed to have been stolen from the roof of the building overnight. 

Mission to Seafarers Victoria CEO Sue Dight has appealed to anyone who may have any information to come forward or to contact police. 

Local master craftsman Henry Alfred Saw crafted the weathervane in 1917, when copper was expensive due to World War I. After a century on the rooftop in high winds, the weathervane was in need of repair. In 2020 through a grant from the Victorian Heritage Restoration Fund, as well as private and public contributions, it was restored and secured to the top of the building

The weathervane is unusually intricate, and represents the high levels of both craftmanship and artistry.

"The way the metal of the sails icurve as though billowing in the wind, the bulging hull of the ship, and the delicate rigging details make it quite a special object for something that is also structurally robust, and was intended to serve use as a meteorological instrument."

The historic weathervane is included as part of the Mission to Seafarers building’s heritage significance on the Victorian Heritage Register, along with its chapel, dome and archives, which is open everyday to the public.