More than a dozen break-ins in the last four years have left the Mountains Archers in despair.
In the most recent – in March – the thieves unpeeled the corrugated iron casing of the Blackheath clubhouse and broke through the gyprock walls to get inside. They stole about $5,000 worth of bows, targets and arrows.
It meant the club had to urgently buy replacements in time for Ironfest, where they charge money to fire arrows.
The festival is their major annual fundraiser but club secretary and coach, Mat Bagley, said that this year: “Basically any profit we made went to pay for the equipment.”
“We’ve put all kinds of locks on the doors, special locks that are covered so you can’t snip them off,” he said.
“But this last time they just punched holes in the fabric of the building. They just ripped the cladding off the shed, punched holes in the gyprock and climbed in.”
Treasurer Joshua Dodson said the worst thing about the thefts is that the equipment stolen is that used by members of the public having archery lessons – club members have their own gear.
“This equipment is the way the public can come and experience archery and we’ve just been wiped out,” he said. He estimated that, even with the success of Ironfest, club funds have dropped by $2,500 because of the robberies.
He said council had been helpful in upgrading the locks, but it had rejected their requests to put a secure shipping container on site to use for storage.
A council spokeswoman said it had upgraded the locks and security “a number of times”. And there had been discussions with the club about alternative storage of the equipment, including use of a shipping container, trailer, storage unit and purpose-built safe.
“The option of a shipping container, as preferred by the club, is not supported at Browntown Oval as it does not comply with council’s development controls for that site,” she said.
Mr Bagley said it was frustrating.
“It’s just one of those problems where council seems constrained by their policy.”
Mr Dodson said the club appreciated the better locks, but they weren’t proving successful in stopping the robberies.
“Council needs to come to the party – I don’t think it’s a big ask to have a container,” he said.
But there is a glimmer of hope. After the March burglary, the robbers rolled their car before they left, strewing some of the stolen gear in the grass and leaving pieces of blue car paint at the scene. A club member made inquiries with local wreckers and it is understood the range of suspects has narrowed.
