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Hillcrest Christian College at Reedy Creek on Gold Coast has bus fleet and canteen damaged by vandals

Police have charged three boys aged between 10 and 13 after a senseless rampage of vandalism at a Gold Coast private school.

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POLICE have charged three boys aged between 10 and 13 after a senseless rampage at a Gold Coast private school which racked up a damage bill in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Hillcrest Christian College at Reedy Creek was targeted by vandals on Sunday night – allegedly the trio of boys, who are facing charges including wilful damage and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Hillcrest Christian College's bus fleet was targeted by vandals. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook
Hillcrest Christian College's bus fleet was targeted by vandals. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook

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It’s alleged the boys were caught red-handed at the school.

Almost all of the school’s fleet of 10 buses have had their windows smashed, seemingly with fire extinguishers and picks.

The buses had been decorated for Christmas the day before the destructive incident.

The school’s canteen and Prep - Year 2 library (retrofitted into a bus) was also ransacked and vandalised, while a truck was pushed down a hill and into a wall.

Vandals targeted bus windows. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook
Vandals targeted bus windows. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook

Hillcrest, which teaches about 1550 students from pre-kindy to Year 12, took to Facebook on Monday to update the school community.

“To provide more information about the vandalism, three youths involved in the vandalism were apprehended on-site and were in police custody last night,” the post read.

Damage viewed from the outside of one of the buses. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook
Damage viewed from the outside of one of the buses. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook

“None of these youths were associated with the College from the information we have received from police.

“From the information we have obtained, this was a random act of destruction.”

The school thanked the community and said all of its students should feel safe and secure

“We don’t want to highlight the destruction but to inform you all College buses have been significantly damaged which means they will be out of action for some time,” the post read.

“What we did want to highlight was the efforts and work from our staff and community.

The vandals were seemingly indiscriminate. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook
The vandals were seemingly indiscriminate. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook

“Firstly, the Hillcrest bus drivers had spent the weekend decorating the buses in Christmas decorations to make the journey to and from home each day a little bit more festive. We wanted to highlight their efforts.

“And of course, a thank you to the staff who spent their weekend investigating, cleaning, and managing the situation to ensure the students could be on-site and continue their learning in a safe, clean and secure way.

The buses had only just been decorated for Christmas. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook
The buses had only just been decorated for Christmas. Picture: Hillcrest Christian College/Facebook

“Thank you to emergency services and external contractors who have worked over the last 24 hours to ensure we are operational.”

The boys alleged to be responsible for the vandalism will face court next week.

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Original URL: https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/hillcrest-christian-college-at-reedy-creek-on-gold-coast-has-bus-fleet-and-canteen-damaged-by-vandals/news-story/02602d66065d6742527ec96fd8105281