General News
8 December, 2023
Destroyed toilets angers committee
MEMBERS of the Lake Bullen Merri South Beach committee of management were outraged by the recent vandalism of two unisex all-access and two female toilets.
Toilet seats were cracked, toilet paper was jammed into toilets and strewn on the ground, and toilet paper holders were broken by vandals.
Committee president Phil Russell said the committee was disgusted by the vandalism.
“We keep harping on about all being volunteers up here, but we’re all well-supported by the council and they’ve got better things to do with their money than to be repairing things that are necessary for this,” he said.
“The Cooinda bus came up here to use the toilets and they had to go away.
“It really hurts people, and the community, and I’m almost lost for words about the wanton destruction for now reason.
“He can’t understand why someone would think that’s acceptable on any level.”
The committee reported the damage to Corangamite Shire Council, but Mr Russell said he was still disappointed it had happened at all.
“It’s all going to be fixed and it’s going to be repaired, but it’s not necessary,” he said.
“It’s totally unnecessary; there’s nothing to achieve by trashing a community facility. It just hurts the community.
“Maybe if people understood that that’s what it actually does, maybe it wouldn’t happen.
“It doesn’t compute in my head that people should think that it’s acceptable.”
Mr Russell said the committee would continue to work towards ensuring the facility was the best they could make it but needs the support of the community.
“We need people to contribute to it, not take away from it,” he said.
“It’s here for everyone, and we’re proud of what we do, and the community should be too.
“The majority of the community are just 100 per cent behind us, and it’s just a small minority of people that go and take away a lot of the goodwill from the people who do it for nothing.”
Mr Russell said he could not be any more annoyed than he was but had a message to those that caused the damage.
“I’d like to think that the people who did this now begin to understand the damage that they’ve done,” he said.
“It’s just not acceptable.
“The people who are responsible, whether it’s today, tomorrow or years to come, will look back and regret their actions.”
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