By Russell Bennett
58234
Pictures: Donna Oates
A GROUP of Montrose volunteers is desperate for help to stop graffiti covering their town.
Montrose Township Group’s Curt Tebbutt estimates he and his fellow volunteers have removed graffiti from 1500 square metres of town land over the past year.
“And that would be a conservative estimate,” he said.
Mr Tebbutt said most of the town centre was constantly under siege from graffiti vandals.
“It started 12 to 18 months ago with the public toilets, the church, the vet’s, the playground and the vandalism and break-ins at the pharmacy,” he said.
“There was a huge amount of vegetation around there so the vandals could get in unseen, break -in, and have a ball with their graffiti.
“So we (the township group) started talking with the traders, saying ‘the place is starting to look like a tip – there’s graffiti all over the place, it’s on the supermarket, it’s everywhere.
“The place is a disgrace and we need to do something about it.”
Mr Tebbutt said when the town ‘gets hit’, it happens with force.
“Over time, it just builds and builds,” he said.
“Nobody does anything and before you know it the whole place is full of graffiti.”
Yarra Ranges councillor Noel Cliff saw red last week at the release of shire’s new Graffiti Management Plan.
He said it didn’t reflect the views of local township groups, specifically mentioning Montrose.
“Right now, the shire is only responsible for cleaning their own property so that leaves these guys (volunteer groups) to work their arses off.”
But Lilydale Senior Constable Linda Hancock said the shire should only be concerned with keeping its own property clean.
“Power companies and other private companies should be worried about their own property,” she said.
“We’re feeling really confident with the new plan.
“We’ve worked closely with the council on this and we feel we’re making real progress with the steps we’ve put in place.”
But Sen Const Hancock acknowledged the Montrose volunteers were currently being made to do too much of the town’s clean up work.
“It should be everyone’s responsibility,” she said.
“It would be fantastic if everyone throughout the community became involved and took as much pride in their town as they (the group) did.”
Sen Const Hancock keeps a database of graffiti tags.
“They (tags) can make an area seem unsafe when it’s really not,” she said.
“And we won’t tolerate that.”
Montrose Township Group president Val Hoyle said: “Some graffiti can be classified as artistic expression, I suppose, but what we’re seeing is just vandalism and it’s a crime.”
David Dobson, also from the township group, was optimistic the vandals targeting Montrose will ultimately be caught and prosecuted.
“The police need evidence and if we can provide them with it, they will act on it,” he said. “They maintain a database of tags and match up the ones we take photos of. Three teen vandals were charged recently by Mooroolbark police over nearby graffiti attacks.
Mr Dobson said, if caught, the vandals should be made to remove their own handiwork.
“It shouldn’t be us – it should be them doing community service after they’ve been nabbed.”
For more information about the Montrose Township Group, visit www.montrose.vic.au/montrosetownship-group.
