COPPER THIEVES left Lancefield Park in the dark after they stole more than 100 metres of cables from the recreation reserve’s power box last Monday, which also knocked out Telstra’s 4G mobile tower.
The outage, which was first reported on the Telstra Outages website at 6.40am on May 4, left the entire precinct without power and residents in the area experiencing reduced mobile coverage.
Crews were on the ground on Friday morning to begin restoration works, and were able to restore the park’s capabilities.
A spokesperson for the Lancefield Park Recreation Reserve Committee of Management told the Review that the theft had major impacts.
“Apart from the clubs not being able to use the lights or other training facilities, the toilets were needed to be closed because they’re septic and they need power to run,” they said.
Because Lancefield Park is one of 1500 Crown land reserves managed by voluntary committees of management, there were some initial concerns about where the funding to replace the cables would come from.
The committee told the Review it was in constant contact with a range of government and non-government organisations to ask for assistance, including the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), and the Macedon Ranges Shire Council.
On Wednesday afternoon, it received confirmation that DEECA would cover the costs of the repairs.
The committee spokesperson said they were thankful for the help from Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas to secure the funding.
“I appreciate DEECA working collaboratively with the Lancefield Park Committee to help support a positive outcome for the community,” Ms Thomas said.
According to the Telstra Outages website, a majority of Lancefield’s residents were impacted by reduced mobile phone coverage throughout the week, while full outages were experienced in the Cobaw area.
Telstra’s Regional Engagement Manager Marcus Swinburne said: “Unfortunately, without power cables, we (couldn’t) connect backup power either.”
“The impact of this sort of theft on customers can be significant, and despite our best efforts to repair and restore services quickly, businesses, individuals and critical community services can be disconnected for days.”
Lancefield Football Netball Club had to make some changes to run their training sessions in the lead-up to their away fixture against Melton Centrals, with the netball teams heading to Sunbury on Thursday to get their practice in.
The senior men’s team got a generator in to get an indoor session rolling in the newly upgraded Laurie Green Pavilion, while the women’s football team hit the streets for their cardio.
Condemnations of the thievery came through thick and fast, with the LPCoM calling it “a pretty low effort” while Macedon Ranges Shire Council Mayor Kate Kendall said she was disappointed to hear of another copper theft.
“We’ve unfortunately had to respond to a number of these instances ourselves at council-managed facilities in recent years,” she said.
Local police are investigating the incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
