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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 3, 2007 - 3 Statue may have been stolen for scrap Continued from page 1 head of the statue will find its way into the museum's collection, but according to Harasym it will be salvaged in some way, as long as it is still in good condition. According to Harasym, police still have the statue's head. The statue's theft came five years after a smaller bronze statue of the same subject -- the Ukraine's greatest son, Taras H. Shevchenko -- was stolen from the same park. The recent theft of the 15-ft.-tall bronze statue in the likeness of the orphaned serf, who became a prominent poet, and which towered against the sky atop a granite pedestal, actually marked the last in a trio of setbacks to befall the 55year-old park. In 2001, a smaller bronze statue of a seated Shevchenko went missing. Prior to that, in 1988, the Taras H. Shevchenko Museum that once operated in the 16.5-acre park, fell victim to arson along with its contents. The museum was later rebuilt in Toronto. "Unknown suspects have stolen a 15-ft.-tall bronze statue from Taras H. Shevchenko Memorial Park at 1363 Dundas St. W. The statue was cut off at the legs and removed sometime between Dec. 15 and 31, 2006," stated a release from Halton Regional Police Acting Staff Sgt. Dave Stewart. "There is no indication at this point that this is a hate-motivated incident," said Stewart. Police have asked to hear from anyone who may have information on the statue's theft from the park that sits on the north side of Dundas Street, near Lions Valley Park and north of the St. Vlodymyr Cultural Centre. The statue and park, however, are operated separately from the cultural centre -- and are viewed quite differently amongst members of the Ukrainian community -- as the roots of the communist Soviet Union and tsarist Russia intertwine complexly against the modern historical tableau. Though not everyone in the Ukraine community agrees on the statue -- it was a gift from the Soviet Ukraine in 1951, most do agree that its symbolic figure, Taras H. Shevchenko, was among the most important of Ukrainian figures. Police said the park is in an isolated area near recent residential development. In fact there have been rumours of the park becoming a public park under ownership of the Town of Oakville. "There have been negotiations going on for a couple of years now, but they've become quite protracted because of the question of Oakville developing north of Dundas Street and the (North Oakville) secondary plan," said Harasym. The square where the statue has RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER INSULT TO UKRAINIAN POET: Oksana Boutchma, administrator of the St.Vlodymyr Cultural Centre in north Oakville, is seen here with all that remains of a statue of famous Ukrainian poet Taras H. Shevchenko. Thieves are believed to have cut the bronze statue down over the past two weeks to melt it into scrap metal. stood "solid and strong" since 1951, and which Harasym describes as a "sanctuary", the centrepiece -- the granite pedestal flanked by wooden benches, flower gardens in the summer and towering trees -- has nothing left atop of it except the boots from the statue's feet. Value of the bronze statue is estimated at over $20,000 by police. Harasym said to replace the statue the cost would be in the order of $350,000 and noted, "A gift is irreplaceable." Not much in the way of clues appeared present at the site except for some muddy tire ruts, a few thick ropes, shavings and saw marks on what was left of the statue. Oksana Boutchma, administrator of the nearby St. Vlodymyr Cultural Centre, was surprised by the theft. Though Boutchma is aware of the rift in the beliefs and acceptance of the statue as pertains to who gave it to Canada, in the Ukrainian community, she said there's no denying the importance of Shevchenko in history. "To me Shevchenko is Shevchenko," she said. Boutchma said she saw the statue in August. She noted her husband visited the park since then and had to walk in from the road as it is customary for the park's gate to be closed and locked for the winter months. Though a power outlet sits near the statue's base, Boutchma said it, too, is likely disconnected for the winter. She believes the culprits used gas-powered saws to hack down the statue and the Christmas holidays would have been a prime time to do Oakville Division at 905-825-4747, ext. 2205. They also remind the public that anonymous tips can also be made to Halton Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-TIPS. Back in the fall of 2001 Harasym spoke to The Oakville Beaver upon the theft of the small statue that measured four feet in height and weighed approximately 200 pounds. Harasym admitted it would take some equipment to haul even the smaller memorial away, never mind remove it from its granite pedestal. He told The Beaver yesterday he suspects it found its way into some type of private collection as its value wouldn't likely see it melted down or taken apart. That's not the case for the larger statue whose head alone Harasym believes weighs about 200 pounds. Harasym said the theft of bronze and copper statues has become something of a trend world wide as the price of metal soars. Though police back in 2001 said a couple of strong people could potentially have picked up the smaller statue and took it away in a truck, there's no way the same could have been done with the larger statue. The recent theft is believed to be for the sake of its value as scrap metal. The theft of the smaller statue in 2001 followed closely a Canada Day celebration at the park that marked the 50th anniversary of the unveiling of the monument there. Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko was a Ukrainian poet born in 1814 who lived as a serf in the Ukraine under Russian Tsarist control. Shevchenko was orphaned at age 11 and worked as a house boy for a Taras H. Shevchenko statue before it was destroyed. the nasty deed as the park is not busy then. Volunteer caretaker Lillian Carrigan spends time at the park, but doesn't live there full time in the winter, said Boutchma. Halton police are asking for anyone with information concerning the investigation to contact their group of teachers where he picked up reading. As a teen, he moved to St. Petersburg with his owner and would sneak out at night to paint. Shevchenko's art was noticed by a colony of St. Petersburg artists who sold a painting to buy Shevchenko's freedom from serfdom on April 22, 1847 and sent him to art school. A prolific painter, Shevchenko began penning poetry, but when his writings became agitational about his homeland, he was arrested in 1847 and sentenced by Czar Nicholas I to serve in the military in the far reaches of Russia. He wasn't allowed to paint or write. Upon the Czar's death a decade later, Shevchenko was pardoned, but his health was broken and four years later, he died on March 10, 1861. Shevchenko was buried in St. Petersburg, but his body was later moved back to the village of Kanyev, Ukraine where he was laid to rest overlooking the Dnieper River -- as he'd requested in his most famous poem, My Testament. Later, what Harasym calls a "large and imposing monument" was erected in Kanyev and today, such monuments exist all over the world. The one stolen over the holidays was the first unveiled in the western hemisphere, according to Harasym. Shevchenko's poetry has been translated into 150 languages and usually re-printed in a replica of the simple book that contained his original collection -- the Kobzar (minstrel). Ukrainian immigration to Canada began in 1891 and immigrants were said to arrive with the Bible and the Kobzar. Oakville's Taras H. Shevchenko Memorial Park used to measure more than 100 acres and house a museum and children's camp, but when arson destroyed the museum in 1988, 90 acres were sold and the museum re-established in Toronto. Every year however, tribute is paid there on Canada Day to Shevchenko. It was on Canada Day in 1951 that 20,000 people gathered at the park to see the Soviet-made statue unveiled. It was a gift to the 500,000 Ukrainians then in Canada from the Soviet Society For Cultural Relations Abroad. It was the centre of controversy initially and was under police guard. In 1950 it was decided to celebrate in July 1951 the 60th Anniversary of the life and creative labour of Ukrainians in Canada, firstly by a great national festival of Ukrainian and Canadian song, music and dance, and secondly, by erecting a monument in Canada to Shevchenko, which would represent the full figure of the great poet of the Ukrainian people. The park is the site of celebrations every Canada Day.