Serial graffiti artist targets buildings near Gympie West school

A graffiti artist who has been spray painting his, her or their tag across multiple community buildings near the Gympie West School has shown no sign of letting up, brazenly revisiting buildings once they’ve been cleaned up.

Gympie councillor Bruce Devereaux has called out the ‘needy ego’ of the tagger and vandal who continually hits hard-working community group buildings in Centenary Park.

Caught between a rock and hard place, the community groups of Centenary Park in Gympie are in fear of the next “hit” by a serial tagger who brazenly revisits walls after they’ve been cleaned up – and is unafraid to invite their friends along too.

Far from being an anti-establishment artist like Banksy or a benevolent fictional criminal like Robin Hood, this tagger appears to feed off both the goodwill and fear of community volunteer groups.

“It’s upsetting and heartbreaking they are targeting us, there’s nothing more wholesome than scouts,” Centenary Gympie Scout leader Kylie James said.

Centenary Scouts have been victim to a brazen serial vandal tagger who targets wholesome community groups.

“We are trying to create a safe space for our kids, they shouldn’t have to turn up to scouts in a vandalised building.”

Gympie Scouts and Tennis Gympie both make their home in Centenary Park on Cartwright Road.

The park is a common thoroughfare for Gympie West Primary schoolchildren to cut through between Cartwright Rd and Glasgow St, and the dimly lit gully with a dirt access road sas become a hot spot for vandals with spray cans.

But it seems the more those targeted call for help cleaning the tags ups, they harder they get hit.

The damage and tagging the second time Gympie Scouts were hit by the vandal.

“How needy does an ego need to be that someone resorts to spending good money writing their name on random walls?” Gympie councillor Bruce Devereaux said.

Ms James said a neighbour alerted her to their first vandal hit on November 19, and they rallied the community to repaint the wall, sending out an invite to the tagger to “help clean up”.

A fortnight later, the tagger came back and “brought friends” who spray-painted whole walls of the scout’s den.

Centenary Scouts have been victim to a serial vandal tagger who targets wholesome community groups.

Ms James said she was sure the hits were intentional and they left a message behind saying:

“Thanks for the wall.”

Tennis Gympie had been hit five times by the same tagger, but declined to comment for fear they would get hit again harder.

It is understood TAFE Gympie has also been targeted.

“I look forward to the police establishing who is causing so much clean-up work for the community groups at Centenary Park,” Mr Devereaux said.

Police said they are investigating the series of incidents and urge anyone with any relevant information to contact them.

No one has been charged at this stage, they said.

Originally published as Serial graffiti artist targets buildings near Gympie West school