New facilities at Bayside BMX ravaged after criminals target junior sports club
Members of a Brisbane BMX club are devastated after thieves ransacked their newly constructed clubhouse.
Southeast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Southeast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Junior sports clubs on Brisbane’s bayside have been left frustrated and heartbroken after vandals have ravaged their facilities causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
The frustration has grown after the newly constructed clubhouse at Bayside BMX in Wynnum West was broken into early on Tuesday morning with thieves causing considerable damage.
Criminals reportedly gained entry after throwing a brick through a window before ransacking the canteen, throwing food around and spray-painting graffiti on the club’s notice boards and on the start hill.
Bayside BMX club secretary, Letitia Weatherhead, said it was heartbreaking considering all of the effort that went into revamping the new clubhouse.
“Given this is the second break in that we’ve had in a matter of weeks, it is very frustrating and also heartbreaking as we had only just completed the construction of our new clubhouse facility in April,” she said.
“Most of the construction was funded by the club itself including countless hours of volunteer assistance to assist with all that was needed to complete the project.
“It is just so hard to understand how some people can have a complete disregard for others property.
“We are still fundraising to assist with the cost of the clubhouse construction so it’s just so demoralising to have this damage done which then requires more funds to be spent to be able to fix up and provide better security for our clubhouse facility.”
Wynnum Police senior sergeant Wayne Richter said this week’s break in, which was the only incident reported to them, was under investigation.
“Due to recent lockdown and the community not being able to use the facility, the club has been targeted by criminals,” he said.
“We’re asking anyone that may have heard or seen any unusual in the area to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.”
The break in at Bayside BMX also comes after nearby soccer club, Wolves FC at Carmichael Park at Tingalpa, was targeted by vandals and thieves twice late last year.
Thieves stole thousands of dollars worth of property from the club in June before vandals caused more than $50,000 of damage in November.
Following the two incidents, Wolves FC president Rabieh Krayem said the offenders were “disgusting human beings” who had no idea how much of an impact these actions had on people.
Sgt Richter said no incidents at Wolves FC were reported to police but called for the community to report any criminal activity to police so they can address any issues.
“If there are incidents of criminal activity at community sporting clubs it’s important to contact Policelink on 131444 to report them so that we can carry out a proper investigation,” he said.
“We can’t act of unverified gossip or posts on social media platforms to determine where to use Policing resources.”
Ms Weatherhead said Bayside BMX had been overwhelmed by support from the community following Tuesday’s break in.
‘Do something now’: Fire ants blamed for river banks collapse
Logan River residents want the state to investigate possible links between deadly fire ants and accelerating river bank erosion as property owners live in fear of landslips.
Huge US submarine repair ship spotted off Qld
One of only two US nuclear submarine repair ships has been spotted off the Queensland coast this afternoon headed towards Brisbane.