The abhorrent act of vandalism at the Murrumburrah Cemetery over the weekend appears to be an attempt to take a slab of marble from one of the memorials.

It’s not like criminals are highly regarded, but only the lowest of the lowlifes would be so disrespectful to attack a family’s sacred site.

And while this time it was our neighbouring town that was affected, we are unfortunately not immune to crime, and this disgusting behaviour is on another level altogether.

We’ve all got loved ones in cemeteries across our great region, so it is easy to put yourself in the place of this family.

Police will look into the incident and they hope to find the culprit or culprits as soon as humanly possible.

Let’s hope that the courts also support the police in putting them away.

Is this act a reflection on how difficult times are in regional Australia? Are people so desperate for a quick dollar that they stoop to gutter levels to desecrate a dead person’s resting place?

Whatever the motivation, it doesn’t excuse the terrible act and does not placate a family searching for answers.

Surely it must have been someone passing through the region, otherwise how would that person be able to walk the streets of our community and be able to look any one of us in the eye.

Members of the community need to be vigilant in response to this low blow. We need to keep our eyes open to any suspicious activity and report information to the police.

Sometimes the smallest of clues leads to a breakthrough in cases such as this.

Let’s turn an atrocious act into a catalyst to band together and rid our community of these gutless and unwanted members of society.

We need to send a clear message that we are a town that values our lifestyle and we will not be tolerant of idiots infiltrating our way of life.

In another reprehensible act, two men from our region have been convicted of stealing more than $100,000 of cattle from a property in Queensland.

Stock theft should be treated just as harshly as any theft. After all, criminals are destroying a farmer’s livelihood.