Box Hill North man’s war on graffiti in Whitehorse

IT’S a scourge on our suburbs and makes areas feel unsafe, and this Box Hill North resident is so sick of graffiti tags, he’s waging a one-man war on removing the scrawls from the eastern suburbs.

Grayson O'Connor is waging a one-man war on graffiti in the eastern suburbs. Picture: Daniel Pockett

IF you want something done well, do it yourself.

That’s the attitude of Grayson O’Connor, a Box Hill North resident who became tired of seeing the area’s walls and signs tarnished by graffiti.

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“I think I removed at least 100 tags in the Whitehorse area in a period of just two weeks,” he said.

“My mission is to have all the graffiti on Station St removed.

“If everyone in Whitehorse removed one graffiti tag then Whitehorse would be completely clean.”

Mr O’Connor suspected teenagers were primarily responsible for the tags splattered across the neighbourhood.

“They’re not talented artists; just vandals,” he said.

“They get an adrenaline rush out of it — they want their work to be seen and they want to make their mark.”

Whitehorse Council’s general manager of infrastructure, Phil Warner, condemned graffiti for the negative effects it had on the community.

He said the council, businesses, residents and government agencies were burdened with the cost of its removal and it reduced the perception of safety.

Mr Warner suggested residents review the design and maintenance of buildings and fences in an effort to minimise graffiti in Whitehorse.

Steve Peters, from the council’s graffiti removal rapid response team, removes tags from a Nunawading building in 2012.

“Large blank walls or fences attract the most graffiti, so it is best to avoid these,” he said, adding that “poorly kept buildings tend to attract graffiti vandals”.

“Residents should contact Victoria Police if they see graffiti occurring.”

Whitehorse Council can help residents and businesses remove graffiti on private property by providing a graffiti removal kit, supply of paint and advice.

For more information on graffiti prevention, click here.