Albany artist Kevin Draper’s Threshold sculpture damaged by vandals while a feature of a garden in McKail

A sculpture by renowned Albany artist Kevin Draper has been left damaged in an example of “mindless vandalism”. The piece, called Threshold, has been featured in Sculpture by the Sea on both Cottesloe and Bondi beaches but had found its home in Collyn Gawned’s McKail garden. It is now minus one of its branches after vandals tried to swing on it and broke it off. The pieces were dumped in Mr Gawned’s front yard, leaving him annoyed and upset. “It’s just one of those antisocial acts that you get, it was just mindless vandalism,” he said. “But the piece was loaned to me by Kevin and I was mortified to see a branch had been torn off.” Draper said he would be able to repair the artwork and, as someone who had done a lot of sculptures for public spaces, said he was used to them being damaged. “It will be reasonably easy to fix and it’s just one of those things,” he said. “When your work is in the public arena, these things happen.” There are other examples of Draper’s sculptures in Albany. A tree called Regrowth can be found at the end of Albany’s marina; he designed the gates for the Due South restaurant and there are also pieces at the Hilton Garden Inn. And, the vandals who damaged the piece in Mr Gawned’s garden might also see Draper’s work again as he sculpted the banksia panels which are a feature on the gates at the Albany police station.