The pagoda built for returning servicemen and women as a tea-room after the First World War has had its roof bashed in.

The vandals appear to have climbed on to the roof and bashed in the tiles in what seems like a determined and malicious attack.

The President of the RSL in the region, Gordon Taylor, said: “It’s obvious that someone has decided that they wanted to desecrate this memorial and stove in the top of the building.

“It would have been a major effort to to do this, and I should imagine it would have taken quite a while to do so.

“I hope someone has seen this happening and can shed some light on the matter. It has been reported to the Glen Innes police and hopefully we will be able to find out what went on.

“I would like to remind those people who would do this kind of thing that if they had half the guts of those who fought in these wars and are remembered by these memorials they would go a long way towards being decent people.

“They obviously aren't.”

The police said they were treating it as “suspicious”. Inspector Matthew Hemsworth urged the public to get in touch if they knew anything, either at Glen Innes Police Station or by calling 1 800 333 000.

The structure was badly vandalised in 2015 and repairs cost $5,500.

The latest destruction follows an attack on the skate park a few weeks ago which also had similar determination. It wasn’t a random attack by, say, drunken people who were passing but one with some ingenuity and effort.

In the skate park vandalism, the bottom edge of the slopes which skate-boarders use were removed so that the whole slope wasn’t usable. The work would have needed knowledge and effort.

Someone had also been attacking the bollards behind the Town Hall for some months, removing the screws at the bottom and just leaving the bollards on their side – all undeterred by several closed circuit TV cameras in the area.