Greytown Cricket Club chairman John Gray at the Greytown Sports Pavilion PHOTO/KAREN COLTMAN
Wall-to-wall black scribbles on community asset
KAREN COLTMAN
[email protected]
Taggers have damaged community property once again in Wairarapa, this time in black paint on a wall of the Greytown sports pavilion building.
The tagging covers a four-metre-long wall and was understood to have been done overnight on Friday.
Cricket club chairman John Gray was working with the South Wairarapa District Council to remove the tagging.
There are repeat signatures and dots in the shapes but no coherent meaning to it.
“It is a concern and very disappointing,” Gray said.
“We work hard to keep the club buildings nice, and like all other sports clubs, we do struggle with fundraising, and this is another hassle to deal with.”
The clubrooms at Soldiers’ Memorial Park were built by the swimming club in the 1960s, and the cricket pavilion was built on to it by Gray and others in the 1980s.
He said this type of vandalism had never happened in the 40 years he had been with the club.
Greytown Sports and Leisure Club executive officer Jackie Gray [John’s daughter] told the council about the vandalism because it was responsible for the maintenance of the building.
Police were also informed.
On Saturday, she posted a photo of the graffiti on social media and called for those who did it to clean it up.
“Us oldies are not so familiar with your style of art or your attitude to tag something owned by the community who will now have to waste money to clean it up,” she said.
“This is your place for sport, prize-givings, family gatherings, and birthday celebrations.
“It’s time to lend a hand with the cleanup and be responsible for your mistake.”
She said Greytown could do with its own skatepark to keep young people entertained, and many in the community had been pushing for one for a long time, but no suitable site had been found so far.
She said it was the only town in Wairarapa without a skatepark.
Police asked that if the public knew of vandalism or graffiti to contact them on Crimestoppers anonymously: 0800 555 111.
This vandalism comes days after the Remutaka Summit war memorial was defaced by graffiti.
