Community
22 November, 2024
Toilets smashed in disappointing attack
MEMBERS of the Lake Bullen Merri South Beach Committee of Management have been left picking up pieces of porcelain following the vandalism of two toilets at the lake.
The recent incident, which occurred sometime earlier in the week, is the second time vandals have targeted the south beach toilets in two months following a similar incident in recent weeks.
Lake Bullen Merri South Beach Committee of Management chairman Phil Russell said the committee was left disappointed following the incidents.
“It’s a challenge for the committee because they put so much time and effort into the lake they take things like this personally, which is a bit hard for them,” he said.
“In the whole scheme of things, from a committee chair’s point of view, I know how distressed, upset and disappointed the committee are because they’re all volunteers. To see something so senseless is just really disappointing for them.
“It’s hard enough to get people to volunteer in community things without having these additional challenges thrown at them.
“It’s just senseless, the whole thing - we spent a lot of time and money on some new rocks up there to try and enhance to look of the place, and now these rocks have been used to destroy the toilets.”
The toilets had already been replaced through shire assistance following the earlier incident, meaning Mr Russell is unsure of where funding will come from to replace the disabled toilets in the short-term.
“We’re trying to make it as user-friendly as possible for everyone,” he said.
“It’s even more disappointing, particularly in a disabled toilet – it’s especially designed for people with special needs and you only have one or two of them in the facility.”
“That just excludes a part of the community that requires some additional facilities to cater for their needs – part of what we do up here is provide it, but it’s currently excluding anyone with a disability from using the toilets.”
Mr Russell said he didn’t want to focus on the incident too much, since there were still many visitors who respected the facilities at the lake.
“As disappointing as it is, there’s thousands of other people that have to be congratulated for the way they treat the facilities up there and enjoy the lake and its surrounds,” hesaid.
“It’s disrespectful, horrible, terrible, very inconvenient, costly and it’s disgraceful – it’s all those things – but at the end of the day, it’s only one person doing it out of over a thousand other people who enjoy the lake.”
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