Ormeau free fruit: Gold Coast Council criticised for stopping Damien Van Twest handing fruit out

Gold Coast City Council has revealed why it threatened a well-meaning man delivering free fruit to the needy with a fine.

Gold Coast City Council says ratepayers will have to foot a $4000 turf repair bill after a person drove across freshly-laid turf to get his hands on free fruit at Ormeau.

A spokeswoman said council received a complaint about an activity in Brien Harris Oval causing a traffic hazard, as well as damage to the park itself.

“City officers attended the location and noted significant traffic concerns as well as serious damage to turf which was recently laid. The cost to ratepayers of repairing this turf is estimated to be $4,000. The driver of the vehicle that caused the damage was issued with a fine,” she said.

Turf destroyed in Brien Harris Oval in Ormeau by someone who wanted to get free fruit from Damien Van Twest. Supplied.

The council then spoke to Damien Van Twest, who has been delivering free fruit at the park in Ormeau for nearly five years, to inform him of the safety hazards of his operations.

They told him a permit was required so that traffic hazards, safety risks and impacts on the community can be properly managed.

“Officers are now working with Mr Van Twest in an effort to find him a more suitable location to continue his charitable work,” the spokeswoman said.

Turf destroyed in Brien Harris Oval in Ormeau by someone who wanted to get free fruit from Damien Van Twest. Supplied.

Ormeau locals had earlier expressed anger that Mr Van Twest was threatened with a fine by council.

Hundreds of people were lined up to get the fruit yesterday when a council staffer arrived and asked him to stop.

“She asked what I was doing and I told her I was giving out free fruit that would otherwise be going to waste. She found it hard to believe I wasn’t taking any money,” he said.

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Some of fruit that Damien Van Twest had to throw away after a council staffer told him to stop giving out free fruit at Brian Harris Oval in Ormeau. Supplied.

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“She rang someone above her and I was told I had to close the truck doors. I asked if I could just please give out the final 100 cartons because people were still there to collect it.

“I was told if I do that I’ll be fined on the spot so I had to shut the doors and 100 cartons of perfectly good fruit had to be thrown out.”

Mr Van Twest has been sporadically giving out fruit for five years and has never had a problem until yesterday.

He said he would not be able to continue if he had to apply for a permit.

“There’s no point in doing this if I have to pay to get a permit,” he said.

“At the end of the day I pay for the cost of getting down here, it probably costs me $100 each time and my time, so if I have pay to get a permit, why bother?”

Mr Van Twest said a lot of the fruit, that would otherwise perish, went to local families in desperate need.