Port Stephens sports clubs are being urged to stay alert following a series of break ins and attempted robberies to at least five clubhouses in the past month.
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The Elizabeth Waring function room and Nelson Bay Marlins AFL clubhouse at Tomaree Sports Complex are the most recent to be targeted by thieves, occurring overnight on Sunday, which follows attempts made at Nelson Bay Tennis Club and Grahamstown Aquatic Centre earlier this month and the theft of items from horse riding clubs based in Salt Ash at the end of November.
Sean McGrath, head coach for the Nelson Bay Marlins, found the clubhouse off Dick Burwell Oval broken into on Monday afternoon.
About $150 was taken from a cash register inside the clubhouse and a fridge stocked with alcohol and soda cans half emptied and broken. No sporting equipment was taken.
“It’s pretty disappointing to see this happen,” Mr McGrath said. “For a few hundred dollars worth of stuff we’re now going have to find $4000 or $5000 to clean up. We’ll need to replace the fridge. That’s money we’ll need to find somewhere.”
The Elizabeth Waring function room, which is above Nelson Bay Junior Gropers sheds, was also broken into on Sunday night. It is believed the robberies were carried out by the same person or people.
The incidents come after an attempted robbery to Nelson Bay Tennis Club on December 4.
Club secretary Cheryl Moss said she was alerted to the attempt on Wednesday morning after finding power to the clubhouse had been switched off.
It was then she found a padlock and chain which locked a gate into the complex cut and the handle to a glass door broken. However, the thieves were foiled from entering the property due to a bolt on the glass door.
“They couldn’t get in, thank goodness,” she said. “But it wasn’t without trying.”
Sailability Port Stephens, which operates from the Grahamstown Aquatic Centre, were lucky to avoid a theft despite an attempt on December 1.
The thieves were close to making off with about $30,000 worth of equipment, taken from a shed they had cut their way into, but became stuck in a ditch during their escape.
They left the items on the side of Grahamstown Road at Medowie.
Sailability Port Stephens secretary Richard Byrne said it would have been a “tremendous blow” to the club if the thieves had gotten away with the items, which included a tractor and a 15 foot Quintrex launch used as a safety boat for disabled sailors and school groups.
“They piled as much equipment as they could into the Quintrex launch including a compressor, kayaks, battery chargers, paddles – even a plastic dustpan,” Mr Byrne said.
“Not far from the [Richardson Road] intersection they ran into a ditch and got bogged in the mud. They abandoned the tractor and boat. With the help of a Hunter Water ranger we recovered both tractor and boat and all the equipment.
“Among other uses the tractor is used to launch the launch, which is supplied by Port Stephens Council to be the safety boat for the club’s sailing.”
Mr Byrne said the club was increasing its security measures at the aquatic centre.
Sailability was targeted a week after the clubhouse at the Bruce MacKenzie Complex, used by five horse riding groups, was expertly broken into and robbed.
The Alexander Park Dressage Club, Salt Ash Pony Club, Salt Ash Riding Club, Hunter Valley Dressage Club and the park's managing committee each had items stored in the clubhouse off Richardson Road. It was robbed during the bushfire emergency sometime overnight on November 23-24.
It is believed the thieves drove into the complex through the fire damaged gate, used the water tanks to climb up on the roof and cut their way in despite the alarm system and heavy bars on the windows and doors.
They have then used power tools to cut the heavy bars off the front door, which they put back into place upon leaving.
Salt Ash Pony Club president Lisa Gregory said about $5000 worth of their equipment had been taken. Many other items, including a fridge and PA system, were also taken.
Port Stephens-Hunter Police Chief Inspector Tony Townsend said the district’s intelligence and crime management unit is now investigating the break ins.
He said police had an “open mind” to the Medowie and Salt Ash robberies being linked.
“There are similarities,” he said. “This is an aspect our intelligence unit and crime management unit are looking at and will continue to look at. Based on the amount of property disturbed and missing it is reasonable to assume there was more than one person involved.
“At this stage there are no definite suspects however we are reviewing our intelligence base.”
Anyone with information about the series of robberies and attempts is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.