Years of horror hoarding fills Batesford property, owner says
A Batesford home disappearing beneath decades of hoarded vehicles, machinery and household goods has ignited a bitter disputes between two siblings. WATCH THE VIDEO.
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A hoarder’s Batesford property, covered from end to end in a sea of junk, is at the centre of a bitter dispute between a brother and sister.
Henry Hey, who co-owns the Ballarat Rd home with his sister Marion Battista, has reportedly been hoarding on the property since the 1980s.
The site has amassed an astonishing collection of clutter, from vehicles and machinery to household goods.
Narrow paths on the land are surrounded by the bizarre stockpile, with suitcases, toy trucks, bath mats, mugs, ovens and curtains lining the walkways. In some places the flotsam and jetsam is head high.
There are washing machines, coffee machines, solar panels, chairs, wardrobes, a Richmond Tigers scarf and a chandelier.
Multiple caravans and at least two broken-down cars can be seen on the property’s perimeter, bamboo grows around one of the rusted hulks.
Mr Hey has been ordered from the property by VCAT, was forcibly evicted by authorities in February and asked to remove his belongings.
Ms Battista said Mr Hey refused to leave.
She said the pair inherited the home after their father died in late 2023, but claims her brother had already been living there, collecting junk.
She said his hoarding had fractured their relationship years ago.
Ms Battista said VCAT had given her possession for the purpose to sell.
Neighbours said Mr Hey and his partner set up tents across the road when they were evicted, and were living there for some time.
Ms Battista said she believed the pair had since moved back onto the site.
“There will be some action on this property next week when a contractor begins to remove $160,600 worth of hoarding junk,” she said.
“I just hope my late mother’s ashes are not in this mess.”
Mr Hey reportedly hoards at his partner’s property on Kookaburra Court in Norlane, where Geelong council issued an infringement this year for noncompliance with a Fire Prevention Notice.
He also owns an empty block on Warrak Drive in Bannockburn that was subject to a clean-up notice from Golden Plains Shire eight years ago
Ms Battista said she felt sad for her brother and unsure why he hoarded.
Place of Calm professional organiser Marion Ivermee-Villarosa said there were numerous reasons someone could develop hoarding tendencies, or diagnosed hoarding disorder, whether it be how they grew up or a traumatic experience.
“It creates a divide between family members because it’s not longer about the people it’s about their stuff,” she said.
“And when there’s been trauma people use their things to protect themselves.
“They don’t like the way they’re living but they’re scared.”
The Geelong Advertiser’s attempts to contact Mr Hey were unsuccessful.
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