Strathmore Scouts ban hall bookings after drunken teenage parties

WILD underage parties at a Strathmore scout hall have been spilling out onto surrounding streets, forcing Scouts Victoria to stop hiring out the hall at night.

Riot trucks, police cars and an ambulance were called to an out-of-control event at the hall on October 6.

WILD underage parties at a northern suburbs scouts hall have forced Scouts Victoria to shut them down for good.

Night events have been banned at a Strathmore Scouts hall after a string of unsupervised, alcohol-fuelled, underage parties.

Scouts Victoria dropped letters in neighbours’ mailboxes last week apologising for “numerous incidents” at the Lebanon St hall, and announcing a ban on hiring out the hall at night.

Numerous out-of-control parties have been held at the hall in the last six months, with police called.

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Moonee Ponds Senior Sergeant Dan Ryan said police most recently responded to a call on Saturday, October 6 about a “disruptive party” at the hall.

The party was shut down after a number of intoxicated youths, believed to have been around 16 years old, had run rampant in the street, he said.

Scouts Victoria has strict criteria relating to the ages of participants at parties but executive manager Jon McGregor said the club had been “misled” about the nature of some bookings.

“People worked out that if they asked to hold a 16-year-old’s party with 45 guests we would say no,” he said.

There have been complaints from residents in Strathmore about underage parties at the Scout Hall. Picture:Rob Leeson.

“So they ring back and say it’s a 10-year-old’s party for 10 people.

“Then word gets out that you can have a loud party if you ring up and say this. So we have shut down evening hires.”

Scouts Victoria staff are usually volunteers and Mr McGregor said they were not required to supervise any events at halls.

The ban comes after neighbours took to social media to vent about the ongoing problem.

Hilary Fairchild said she was sick of nursing drunk teenagers on the street after parties at the hall.

Wild teenage parties creating unnecessary drain on police resources

Ms Fairchild, who lives a few doors down from the hall, said she spent more than an hour on the street on October 6, in her pyjamas, with a teenager who had been kicked out of an Uber because she was too drunk.

“Weekend after weekend the street is now filled with strangers, usually teens, often drunk, often belligerent, leaving empty bottles, cans … and cigarette butts to clean up,” she said.

Sharon Clements said she had called police that night after teenagers were screaming on the street about someone with a knife.

“This hall isn’t suitable for late night functions that involve young people or music, it is very unfair to residents,” she said.

Remnants of a fire outside the Scout hall. Picture: Rob Leeson.

“Three police vehicles turned up to see what was going on and by that stage the teens had left.”

Facebook video footage showed two police riot trucks and three patrol cars on Lebanon St on October 6.

Mr McGregor said hall hire was used to raise revenue for the Scouts group and to provide a venue for a “peppercorn amount” for those who could not afford to hire a traditional party venue.

He said the incidents at the Lebanon St hall would not affect hall hires at other locations but other districts had been told to watch out for misleading applications.

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