Gold Coast schoolies: Minority threatens to ruin celebrations

Worse than Schoolies, a Surfers Paradise unit owner is calling for a crackdown on the other group of revellers that make their way to the Gold Coast every November. DETAILS

A Surfers Paradise unit owner is calling for a crackdown on toolies at Schoolies, saying they have caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to his properties.

Each November, Tim Warren and his neighbours say they endure trashed apartments, vomit-stained carpets and witness young people scaling high-rise balconies as part of festival celebrations.

“I’ve had several units in Surfers Paradise over the past 10 years and each one of them have had some sort of damage every time Schoolies are in them,” Mr Warren said.

It got so bad their apartment building introduced a “no Schoolies” policy.

NOV 1994 – damage to `The Sands' Hotel, on the Gold Coast during Schoolies week.

But this hasn’t stopped parents from booking rooms for their children.

“The kids don’t tend to be the problem, nor the parents of the kids,” Mr Warren said.

“But you get a lot of older brothers, older siblings, or people who have been schoolies already who are living vicariously through young people.”

These much older people who gatecrash Schoolies’ events are referred to as toolies.

Mr Warren said he would support Schoolies if there was a way to keep out toolies.

“It’s gone from its intended celebration at the end of exams to basically just an excuse for a whole heap of drunk people to run riot,” he said.

“It does bring an awful lot of money into the area and that really is needed at the moment. “But when you look at the property damage and the amount of kids that end up in hospital, I’m not sure if the ends justify the means.”

Ray White Surfers Paradise chief executive Andrew Bell disagreed, saying the rite of passage for school leavers was a huge revenue booster.

“You’ll find most people will say even though it’s not the two weeks they love the most, they can live with it,” Mr Bell said.

“I find the great majority of kids are well behaved.”

Police will brief media on their operations on Friday but are expected to be out in force for the annual event. Schoolies starts on Saturday.

School leavers arrive in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast for the annual Schoolies week. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Police have previously said the wanding trial would be operating around the clock, on Thursday revealing the average age of those scanned were 18.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed Schoolies will go ahead on the Gold Coast as planned after two Covid-19 cases recorded in the city last week were contained.

“This is great news for the 53,000 Queensland teenagers who are finishing school this week,” she said.

“Our Year 12s have completed their final two years under the shadow of Covid. They’ve learnt to adapt and simply get on with it, no matter what is thrown at them.”

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Originally published as Gold Coast schoolies: Minority threatens to ruin celebrations