Hoons damage Buln Buln oval

by Bonnie Collings
Buln Buln residents have been left outraged after hoons caused significant damage to the Buln Buln Recreation Reserve on Sunday night.
Between 8pm and 8:30pm, a white four-wheel-drive allegedly drove onto the oval and began doing donuts around a large section of the ground.
Following several days of rain, the soft surface of the oval sustained significant, deep damage.
Describing the actions as "senseless and stupid", Baw Baw Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) detective sergeant Chris Skurrie appealed for anyone with information about the incident to contact police.
"Small sporting clubs are the heart of the community, people rely on them so much," he said.
"Anyone with information, please contact Baw Baw CIU."
Neighbour and groundskeeper Phil Ronke was one of the first community members on scene after hearing concerning, loud noises outside his house.
"I had just finished tea, was sitting down on my phone reading a couple of things, and I heard this noise," he said. "I thought somebody was doing donuts around the outside of the oval, but I looked out the curtain, and I could see lights flashing on the oval."
Mr Ronke said he ran across the road to confront the offenders but was ignored.
"I went out and I was screaming at them, and they just ignored me, just kept going," he said.
"I think they had it locked in four-wheel drive and they were just going everywhere. At one spot they just sat there spinning the wheels, digging holes."
Upon hearing the confrontation, Mr Ronke said neighbours began coming outside but the offenders soon fled the scene.
In his 10 years as groundskeeper and 36 years of living across the road from the ground, Mr Ronke said he'd never seen anything like the damage the oval sustained.
"We can't play on it, I don't even think we can train on it," he said.
"It's going to have to be top dressed, all filled in. If they don't fill the wheel marks in, it'll just turn into a slop hole because of the weather, (players are) going to roll their ankles."
"We've got a lot of kids that play on it too, so it's going to affect everybody."
Buln Buln Football and Netball Club president Rosa Jagoe questioned why offenders would target a local sporting ground.
"Why drive out to Buln Buln? It's literally in the middle of nowhere," she said.
Ms Jagoe said her main concern was the safety of the ground and determining if training could occur.
"We're lucky we've got two away games coming up, but boys have still got to train on it," she said.
"My concern is the safety of it now, whether there's any kind of guttering that the wheels have caused. When it rains, it doesn't take long for the oval to turn into a mud pit."
Ms Jagoe said the damage would significantly impact the club and the Buln Buln community, but praised the town's community spirit.
"Knowing the community, they'll probably all be out there with a shovel soon, trying to backfill things," she said.
Anyone with information or CCTV footage of this incident is asked to contact Baw Baw CIU on 5622 7111.