Vandals have smashed seating, feature walls and an existing Anzac memorial in Kingscliff’s Rowan Robinson Park just days before its official opening.
On Monday, a resident saw scooter riders using their scooters like hammers to smash anti-skating lugs off one of the blue tiled feature walls in the park in broad daylight.
The park, on the Marine Parade foreshore, was recently refurbished at a cost of $22 million and is set to have its official opening on Saturday (April 21) .
When the hoodlums ignored the resident’s requests to stop the destruction, he took photos of them smashing the wall, which he has passed on to police.
Council has also requested police to step up patrols of the park.
Cenotaph damaged
Council’s Recreation Services Manager, Stewart Brawley, said. ‘Sadly, tiles on the Cenotaph were also damaged by bring skated on.
‘This is not something many in the community would find acceptable in the lead-up to the opening and Anzac Day next week,’ he added.
‘Apart from the disrespect, this vandalism is disappointing as it may affect the type of community infrastructure we install across the Tweed in the future.
‘This is a flagship park and we tried to be more creative and not let vandalism dictate the design.
Vanilla option
‘We don’t want to have to go back to the plain, vanilla design required to ensure infrastructure is vandal proof,’ he said.
Some seats in the park have been damaged to the extent that they will have to be removed and replaced.
‘We just don’t have the money to continually repair things and ratepayers would expect their rates to spent more productively,’ Mr Brawley said.
Anyone with information on vandalism at Rowan Robinson Park is asked to call Tweed Heads Police on (07) 5506 9499.
Print the photographs for all to see .
Yes, totally unacceptable! But, what will be the punishment for these ‘lowlifes’, when caught? A slap on the wrist, no doubt.
My daughters unit in Casuarina was targeted last night – windows smashed. Name & shame these vandals!
Lock them up- throw away the key! Enough is enough!
I agree with all the comments. WHERE ARE THE PARENTS,!!
maybe if the parents have to pay for the repairs they might start knowing where their children are and what they are doing
Murbs, and Nimbin both have skate parks that are well patronised, always young folk gravitating to them. Kingy’s single flatbar and ledge doesn’t compare.
Agree, vandalism is not acceptable.
Be assured parents have zero rights and all the responsibility through the difficult years, pubescence. With my sons, if not occupied, into mischief.
Council has all the data needed to gauge demographics of our villages.
Infrastructure for Youth or they will keep themselves occupied in socially unacceptable ways.