Thieves last week targeted the Encounter Bay Netball Club, helping themselves to food and drinks, stealing equipment and even making themselves toasted sandwiches using canteen facilities.
Unfolding over a number of days, the culprits appear to have come and gone from the netball clubrooms, dragging equipment into the nearby scrub to set up a rough camp.
Encounter Bay Netball Club members discovered the crime and the scrub camp last Thursday night at the regular training session.
Cleaning up the rough campsite and returning stolen items to the club, members found homemade drug equipment and say the area smelled strongly of marijuana where furniture from the clubrooms had been dragged into the scrub.
Some sports equipment also was stolen and the break in has caused some damage to the club’s facilities.
In reporting the incident to police, netball club members advised that some Victor Harbor High School students had been seen to disperse from the scrub area on the day of the discovery. Police attended the club during the Thursday night training session but have advised there is little they can do in relation to the matter.
“It shows a total disregard for the volunteers who commit their time to the club,’’ netball parent Kate Basham said. Encounter Bay Netball Club president Vanessa Juergens said it was a shock for the club committee to find the clubhouse last Thursday night at training to be a complete mess.
“For someone to break in and disrespect property that does not belong to them is disappointing,’’ she said.
“Food and drinks had been stolen, equipment broken and stock spoilt and needed to be destroyed.
Our club works so hard to raise money for our players. This behaviour it just disgusting frankly.”
While following up the story, the Fleurieu Sun discovered a trio of Victor Harbor High School students at the clubrooms, during school times. Their presence has been reported to police and the school.
