Cricketers and rugby league club demand solution after repeated break-ins

VANDALS have broken in to a local sports canteen, smashing windows and breaking through brick walls — the third attack in just two months.

Bidwill Hotel Cricket Club secretary Adam Kennedy and club founder Anthony Gorman are fed up with the constant vandalism of their canteen. Picture: Phil Rogers

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VANDALS have broken in to the sports canteen at Peter Van Hasselt Park smashing windows and breaking through brick walls — the third attack in just two months.

The building, used by Bidwill Hotel Cricket Club in summer and the Mt Druitt PCYC Spartans rugby league club in winter, was trashed early last week.

Cricket club secretary Adam Kennedy said the door of their fridge had been ripped off, the microwave and a slushie machine were ruined, and even old sauce bottles had been squirted throughout both rooms.

Damage to the building’s kitchen area. Pictures: Leanne Smith Brockway

Rooms were completely trashed.

“They also opened one of the gas bottles on the barbecue and left it there to empty; that could have been a huge hazard,” Mr Kennedy said.

“It’s extremely frustrating for us as it’s constantly happening.”

The sports clubs lease the building, accessible from Koomooloo Cres, from Blacktown Council, which owns the land at Shalvey.

PCYC Mt Druitt manager Lance Chaloner said something needed to be done.

Mr Chaloner said “the best way forward” was to speak to the council and come up with a solution, one that could successfully deter further attacks.

“We will be in consultation with them (council) and we will then need to look at implementing security systems,” he said.

Mt Druitt PCYC’s Lance Chaloner (centre) with some of the club’s young members in 2015, when he had more than doubled membership numbers.

A spokesman for Blacktown Council said the council was willing to work with the PCYC to “resolve any issues that may arise as a result of this anti-social behaviour”.

“Blacktown Council is appalled that someone would vandalise a valuable community facility in this way,” the spokesman said.

“We call on anyone who has information about the attack to pass (it) on.”

In a recent attack, it appeared vandals cut padlocks to open the old-style iron doors with power tools.

The building has been re-bricked many times, following previous attacks at the Shalvey site. Picture: Phil Rogers

Mr Kennedy said despite loving the location and ease of the grounds, the club travelled Sydney visiting other clubs and saw more modern facilities, which could stop the break-ins.

“My personal view is that it would cost less to knock down the building and do a rebuild with 21st century instalments, rather than rebricking it every time it gets broken into,” he said.

Mt Druitt duty officer, Acting Inspector Matt Ireland, said police had been notified and planned to attend the scene.

“We’ve now been notified of the incident and we are going down there to have a look this afternoon,” Insp Ireland said on Tuesday.