Emptying olive oil an ‘act of faith’, accused say, after pleading guilty to damaging Sydney’s Anzac Memorial

Emptying bottles of olive oil on a war memorial in broad daylight is an act of faith, say two men who have admitted recklessly damaging the sacred site.

Abel Clark and Peter McMaster, both 61, may have permanently stained the granite walls and steps of Sydney’s Anzac Memorial when they “blessed” them with olive oil about midday on 4 September.

The two men pleaded guilty in Downing Centre local court on Wednesday to recklessly damaging the memorial.

However, they maintained their innocence over a second charge of wilful damage of a protected place.

The born-again Christians used olive oil because they believe it represents the Holy Spirit but admitted after their arrest they may have gone too far.

“We might have got out of hand a little bit, a bit careless, and we apologise for that,” Clark told Nine News on Friday.

But they maintained their act, caught on CCTV, was a show of respect for both veterans and their families.

“My grandfather was in world war two,” Clark said.

“If any veterans would like us to come and apologise, we’d do that, no problems.”

Condemning the act, the New South Wales veterans minister, David Harris, said the memories of those who served do not deserve to be desecrated.

“Any harm to this sacred memorial is an affront to the values it represents and the memory of those it honours,” he said on Friday.

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On Wednesday, Harris said the government would introduce new legislation this week to protect the Hyde Park memorial to complement August legislation that increases penalties for defacing war memorials.

Under the proposed laws, the maximum penalty for defacing memorials would rise from five to seven years in prison and it would make it an offence to ride a scooter or skateboard around the Anzac Memorial.

The two men will return to court on 29 October.