Mary Kolusniewski, 75, pleaded guilty to five counts of property damage after spray painting the acronym ‘WTF’ on street signs located in Weller Street and Goodwood Street in Adelaide’s inner southern suburbs.
According to Ms Kolusniewski, these actions were in protest of her local council’s plans to install speed humps and one-lane choke points in her street, which they believe will make the roads safer for cyclists who use the area to get to Adelaide’s CBD.
Ms Kolusniewski was originally ordered to undertake 80 hours of community service as part of her punishment, but was turned away repeatedly when trying to complete her civil duty because organisers did not feel that she had the physical capability to do the work.
Speaking at Adelaide’s Magistrate Court, Ms Kolusniewski’s lawyer, Con O’Neill, revealed that his client suffers from vertigo and emphysema, which hindered her ability to do physical forms of community service.
Mr O’Neill suggested to the court that his client, who is a piano teacher, could instead perform live music in local nursing homes as an alternative form of community service work.
Magistrate Christopher Smolicz decided that Ms Kolusniewski no longer had to perform any community service, opting instead to issue the Adelaide woman with a $1,700 fine.
Speaking outside the court, it was clear that the moment was bittersweet for the self-described “graffiti granny”.
“It’s all over now, I can just go home and play the piano,” she said.
“They destroyed a beautiful old street in Goodwood, a lovely old heritage street, [with] no signage, nothing, no speed humps.”
She added, “Now it’s got seven speed humps [and] 28 signs.”
