By Ewen McRae
The theft of copper wire from Brimbank sporting grounds has continued, with Selwyn Park in Albion the latest to be hit.
The incident, the latest in a series of similar thefts across the municipality, has left the reserve and the Sunshine United Cricket Club rooms without power since February 17.
Sunshine United president Mark Dalrymple said the impact on the club at the “pointy end of the season” had been profound. However they nearly caught the criminals in the act.
“We had a function at the rooms on Saturday night, and it went quite late which is unusual,” Mr Dalrymple said.
“When we were locking up at the end, someone heard some activity over near the tennis courts, but didn’t think much of it, but it appears that was the start of the theft.
“When we turned up to play our under-18s game on Sunday morning we had no power, and it’s been that way since.
“It’s been one of the most difficult weeks we’ve had in my time at the club. Just simple things like running a bar, we needed eskys and ice, preparing food, we can’t really do that. It’s been very tough on everyone, but the attitude from the club has been fantastic.”
The club has had no hot water or power since the theft and had to use a generator to run lights and fridges for its major fundraiser at the weekend.
Council infrastructure and city services director Neil Whiteside said the cost of replacing the wire and helping clubs operate in the interim was severe.
“In the past 18 months there have been 18 copper cabling thefts from community sports grounds and other sites in Brimbank,” Mr Whiteside said.
“Not only do these thefts come at a significant financial cost to the community – more than $500,000 in insurance claims are being lodged – they can also heavily impact the amenities and the users of these grounds.
“We’re making every effort to deter future thefts.”
Selwyn Park now has a security guard on site 24-hours a day, however the club says there is no firm timeline on when power will be restored.
