It would take a strong person to swing a heavy historic pickaxe even once.
Overnight Monday last week, someone broke into Logan Reserve’s Altona Homestead, stole a pickaxe and other tools, and hacked to pieces a children’s swing-set in what has been described as a prolonged and “frenzied” attack.
Altona Laverton Historical Society president Peter Weaver said it appears the person only stopped when the pickaxe broke.
The same night, the toilets were trashed at adjacent Weaver Reserve, named after Mr Weaver’s father.
“They jumped the Queen Street fence of the homestead, set off the alarm, but jumped in there and grabbed a couple of the old tools,” Mr Weaver said.
“They smashed the light on the alarm out on Queen Street, obviously to stop attention coming to them, and then they proceeded to use those tools in the park to smash to smithereens the play equipment.
“By looking at it, it wasn’t a five-minute job. They were on a mission to smash it to smithereens.”
Altona Village Traders Association president Kim Walsh, a former detective, said there had been reports of people sleeping in the rotunda on Logan Reserve, but whether this has any connection to the attacks is unknown.
“To do the damage they did was a long-time offence, it didn’t just take five minutes,” Mr Walsh said. “It had to take them ages to do. It was almost like they were in a frenzy.
“They have smashed into it and completely destroyed it. There’s nothing left of it. It is a disgrace.”
Hobsons Bay mayor Sandra Wilson said the community has been shocked by the needless criminal damage at the two popular reserves.
“It is also disappointing that ratepayers will ultimately foot the bill for … this unnecessary act of vandalism,” she said.
“We implore anyone with any information about this incident to contact police who are currently investigating.”
