Hays International College: Squatters run amok in former boarding house

Squatters, vandals and even arsonists have turned abandoned school buildings in Melbourne’s east into a hellhole for fed-up neighbours.

Squatters and vandals have turned abandoned buildings formerly used by an international school into a nightmare for neighbours with emergency services often called to put out fires lit in badly damaged rooms.

Youths committing illegal and dangerous acts at the former rooming house and arts centre of Hays International College has reportedly increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the college abandoning both buildings more than five years ago.

Leader visited the former rooming house on Wednesday and found graffiti, broken glass and rubbish spread throughout the old boarding house and across the courtyard, along with mattresses and evidence of squatters.

Cathie Coates, with son Kylar, 2, has seen youths committing criminal acts at the abandoned Hays International College buildings for more than five years. Picture: Kiel Egging

The former rooming house at Hays International College has turned into a run-down, abandoned eyesore in Box Hill South. Picture: Kiel Egging

Neighbour Cathie Coates, who has lived in the street for 13 years, said youths had been gathering at nearby Box Hill skate park, crossing Gardiner’s Creek, and breaking in with poles and sticks in broad daylight.

She shared footage with Leader of a spot fire breaking out in September, and youths sitting on a roof and throwing tiles to the ground in May.

“It’s been absolutely horrible, the situation has got worse with the amount of brazen things they do in broad daylight,” she said.

“Our kids shouldn’t be able to sit there and watch other kids damage it, and every other week there are fire trucks down here.”

The site was sold in November 2020 to developer Golden Age, which is yet to formally take over the site and declined to comment.

Ms Coates said the abandoned buildings needed to be knocked down urgently to prevent more chaos.

“Even if you’re not going to rebuild for a while, demolish it, so they (intruders) can’t do anything,” she said.

Kevin Schwab, 75, who has lived in the street since he was born, has helped the school with replacing broken windows and doors at the old rooming house.

Longtime Hay St resident Kevin Schwab has helped out with ongoing repairs to the trashed former rooming house at Hays International College. Picture: Kiel Egging

Fire damage inside Hays International College's abandoned rooming house. Picture: Kiel Egging

Mattresses and graffiti cans inside rooms at Hays International College's abandoned rooming house. Picture: Kiel Egging

Rubbish and broken glass strewn across the courtyard of Hays International College's abandoned former boarding house in Box Hill South. Picture: Kiel Egging

Mr Schwab said the state of the buildings were “disgusting” and he called for both to be demolished.

“The kids have got nothing to do, they’re not home, they’re not at school, so they come to the skate park and when they want to leave, they come here,” he said.

“It’s creating a haven for them to come in and do stuff … some are trashing, some are looking for copper … and it’s not what the neighbourhood needs.

“What good fun can you have breaking all the glass?”.

The school is still operating facilities including an office, classrooms and a gymnasium next to the abandoned buildings while it waits for approval to move to a new home on Station St in Box Hill.

A spokesman for the school, who declined to be named, confirmed the situation had “become worse during the lockdowns because we have been running our classes online and have not been using the place for a while”.

The spokesman said the school installed CCTV, alarms and hired security at certain times of the day, and spent “a lot of money to constantly repair broken fences, doors and windows”, along with “countless police reports requesting help.”

“All our efforts didn’t seem to be able to stop outsiders from entering our premises illegally as we can’t be there 24/7 to look after the place,” the spokesman said.

“We hope the police can pay more attention to this location to arrest all those who try to enter our premises illegally”.

Whitehorse Council sent notices to the property owner ordering demolition of the vandalised and fire-damaged buildings in September.

The council’s director of city development, Jeff Green, said the council would also carry out inspections in the coming weeks and issue directions notices regarding long grass on the site.

Whitehorse police were contacted for comment.