The Australian and Aboriginal flags were stolen from the bridge in broad daylight, just eight days after new flags were put into service.

Past Bathurst Lions Club president Graham Webster noticed the flags were missing at about 10.30am as he was driving across Evans Bridge.

A phone call to current Bathurst Lions Club president Dale Cassidy revealed the flags were still waving at 7am when he had also travelled across the bridge.

Mr Webster believes the thief would have gone to a lot of trouble to obtain the flags based on the damage that was done to the flagpoles. 

“They had to drill the security screws out, and then once you drill them out it’s easy to slide them down the ropes,” he said.

“They had to put a bit of an effort in – they knew what they were doing.”

This isn’t the first time the flagpoles have been targeted by vandals, but it is the only instance in which the flags have been taken.

The Bathurst Lions Club has reported the incident to police and members hope anyone who saw the flags being taken can provide further information. 

Mr Webster expects anyone who did see the incident wouldn’t have known the flags were being stolen as they are regularly changed by Bathurst Lions Club members.

“They probably thought someone from the club was changing them,” he said.

Each flag is worth $600 and Mr Webster said he won’t replace them on the flagpoles until he has repaired the damage.

“I’m not putting any up until I’ve secured the poles,” he said.