By Shelby Brooks
Senseless acts of vandalism were plaguing community sport organisations based out of Toomuc Reserve as bored youths repeatedly defaced facilities while in lockdown.
The Pakenham Football Club and the Pakenham Lions Netball Club were the latest clubs to experience considerable damage to their facilities in October, following September’s attacks on the Pakenham Cricket Club’s nets and Pakenham Junior Football Club scoreboard facility room.
Pakenham Football Club president Travis Hamilton told Star News he caught about 20 youths inside the construct site of their pavilion at the reserve on 30 September.
“I caught them in the act and went in to confront them,“ he said.
“They were throwing building materials around and kicking in all the plaster wall.
“We’ve had enough. This is not the first time damage has been done to facilities. It’s been going on for months.“
Travis said Toomuc Reserve was a known hang out for kids from Pakenham and Officer and hoped Cardinia Shire Council and Pakenham Police could support the clubs with better security.
“The hardest thing is that we’re all just volunteers,“ he said.
“How much do you have to get involved?
“We need security down there and help reinforcing the building site and facilities so they can’t be broken into.“
In September, the Pakenham Junior Football Club’s scoreboard room was broken into and defaced for the fifth time in as many months.
“The first two times they pried the door open and took some footballs and other equipment we had stored there. The third time they kicked the door in, causing big damage. But this fourth and fifth time was the most substantial amount of damage- we’ll have to replace the majority of the walls,“ president Salv Mileto said.
“Council will be helping us with reinforced doors and steel framing to make it harder for people to break in.
“I get that it’s just kids who are bored. Hopefully when lockdown ends it will deter them.“
