Vandals have targeted the North Beach Scout Den, causing significant damage but stole nothing.
Scout Leader Alex White said the intruders seemed intent on destruction, breaking windows and attempting to set the Leaver Tce building on fire last Tuesday.
“The first thing we noticed was cooking oil all over the floor, along with burnt pieces of paper.
“They tried to torch the place, but obviously failed since cooking oil doesn’t like to burn.”
The vandals gained entry by smashing the kitchen windows.
Once inside, they caused extensive damage.
A glass door leading to a conference room was shattered, and a glass coffee table in the same room was also destroyed.
The vandals smashed light switches and frames containing historical memorabilia important to the North Beach Scout community, scattering the contents across the room.
“They even threw bags of insulation onto the ground from an upper level, likely in another attempt to set the place on fire,” White said.
The destruction extended to the Scout group’s activities.
The week before the break-in, Cubs and Keas had been making race cars out of wood blocks in preparation for a pine wood derby.
White and a fellow leader had set up the race track for an event scheduled the following day.
“The vandals pushed it over, covered it in oil, and tried to light it on fire. They damaged the track, which took countless hours to build,” White said.
The North Beach Scout group is now facing the task of repairing the damage caused by the vandalism.
The police have been notified, and the Scout group is seeking support from the community to help restore their facilities.