Four Christian zealots who claimed they were "improving" a Toowong war memorial in March 2017 by removing a brasss sword from a stone cross have been found guilty of vandalism.

Two have narrowly avoided jail terms and were ordered to repay $17,812 in repairs between them.

The four broke one of the brass blades from Toowong's Cross of Sacrifice, which was erected in 1924, and beat it into a crude hoe, angering the general community and Queensland's defence community.

The Toowong monument was where Queensland's Anazc Day services were held until Anzac Square was built in 1930. It honours Reverend David Garland, acknowledged as the founder of Anzac Day.

The four Christians are members of the Catholic Workers Movement and the architect of the plan, Jim Dowling from Ocean View, has been involved in peace protests and civil disobedience actions since 1982.

They all pleaded guilty to planning and carrying out the vandalism on March 1, but denied damaging the war memorial, arguing they "improved" it by removing the sword which conflicted with the symbolism of the Christian cross.

Inside Brisbane's Magistrates Court, an impact statement from the RSL Queensland told of the "deep offence" to service men and women in Queensland and their families caused by the vandalism.

Queensland chief magistrate Ray Rinaudo told the group they were hiding their guilt of vandalising a very significant war memorial behind these beliefs.

As he sentenced one of the four men, Mr Rinaudo said the four must respect their obligations to law.

"It seems to me that whatever sentence I give will not deter you, but hopefully it will defer others," Mr Rinaudo said.

"You simply cannot do this with impunity and think you can hide behind your beliefs. It doesn't work like that."

Serious damage to war memorials carries a maximum seven-year jail time. 

Mr James Dowling received a three-month jail term - suspended for 12 months - and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service work and to repay $8906 in damages. This is half of the $17,812 cost to repair the Sword of Sacrifice memorial at the Toowong War Memorial.

Mr Rinaudo said Mr Dowling was "more than welcome to harbour as strong a view about your belief as you wish," he said.

"But obviously you cannot allow that to impact on others, particularly the way here where you have destroyed, or damaged to the point of requiring significant repairs to a monument which is highly regarded by many," he said.

"Many more than are in your group I would suggest."

Magistrate Rinaudo told the court Mr Dowling was sentenced in 2012 to 21 days jail for actions protesting US/Australia war games in Rockhampton.

His son, Franz Dowling who played guitar and sang hymns during the protest, including the Vine and the Fig Tree, was also found guilty, fined $1000, but no conviction was recorded.

The hymn he sang contains these lines which the Catholic Workers Movement used as inspiration to their protest at the Toowong War Memorial.

"And into plowshares turn their swords, nations shall learn war no more."

Tim Webb, from Greenslopes who beat the sword blade on an anvil bought along specifically for that purpose, was convicted, ordered to pay $8906 in damages and also ordered to perform 100 hours in community service.

Andrew Paine, who video-taped the dismantling of the war memorial on March 31, who "sympathetically interviewed" people involved in the protest and who emailed out a press release informing the mass media of the Catholic Workers Group protest, was convicted and fined $1500.

He said Mr Paine, who is a volunteer journalist with 4ZZZ should consider the role of journalism "as reporting events dispassionately".

"What you did here was not report dispassionately and independently as some of the reporters that are here today are doing," Mr Rinaudo said.

"You were positively involved and supportive of the illegal activities, although to a lesser extent than others."

Outside the court Jim Dowling said their civil disobedience was part of tradition dating back to Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Mahamtma Ghandi.

"We are just carrying on that tradition, by doing something which might seem shocking but it is not the wrong thing to do."

He said sorry to veterans who were upset by their actions.

'It was never our intent and we meant no disrespect to veterans."

However RSL Queensland told in their victim impact statement that the vandalism was an insult to Queensland's servicemen and women, many of whom had died to protect the rights the four men convicted of the vandalism were able to enjoy.

Last week they told the court they believed they had a higher approval to remove the sword from the cross.