Loggers count cost of vandals

By Kath Gannaway
THIEVES targeting logging machinery in the Toolangi State Forest are costing contractors tens of thousands of dollars.
Even more disturbing than the vandalism and loss of fuel, radios and other equipment, is that the perpetrators have hot-wired the massive bulldozers for joy rides.
One contractor who lost $20,000 in a single raid said the continual losses have almost driven him out of the industry.
Geoff Chalmers is the latest contractor to be hit in the three-month spate of thefts. He left machinery at the remote Toolangi coop to do fire salvage work in Mansfield,but when he returned last week the windows on one of the machines had been smashed and stereo equipment stolen.
“They’ve done more than $1000 damage but it’s cost me a couple of thousand with my time reporting it to police, getting the machine repaired and the loss of operating time,” Mr Chalmers said. Even so, he rates himself one of the lucky ones.
“One block has been hit four times and another twice,” he said.
He said the machinery being targeted is worth anything from $300,000 to $400,000.
Mr Chalmers said the theft and damage happened sometime on Saturday afternoon, 19 January.
And while he puts this incident down to “young idiots wanting to cause a bit of trouble”, Kinglake Police investigating a number of thefts and other contractors the Mail spoke to believe the people responsible have a knowledge of the machinery and know the area. They agree, too, that this is not a case of anti-loggers out to disrupt logging.
Chris Biddescombe has been hit twice, in October and November last year.
The first time Mr Biddescombe said the vandals stole all the fuel from one machine and took a $150,000 bulldozer for a joy ride.
“They drove up one of the main bush roads, tried to dig holes and pushed trees over,” he said.
Other machines had electronics and windows damaged and equipment including CD players, radios and fire extinguishers stolen.
“These guys did a pretty professional job. They cleaned windows so police couldn’t get prints and I believe they had a set plan to get this equipment,” he said.
Gil Parker says he has lost count of the number of times his sites have been hit.
“We don’t get anything like this in other places. It’s just ridiculous,” he said.
“In the five years I’ve been up here we have had containers broken into and lost thousands of litres of fuel. They got away with $20,000 worth of equipment in April last year and between Christmas and New Year we would have lost another $5000 worth.”
Because the equipment is not in a fenced area, Mr Parker said it is not covered by insurance. When it looked like a bulldozer had been stolen, Mr Parker said he had had enough. “I said, if that dozer’s gone, I’m gone,” he said “I’m going back to Gippsland.”
The machine had been driven half a kilometre into the bush leaving a trail of smashed trees and an empty fuel tank.
“That person could not have done that unless he knew how to operate that bulldozer. Whoever it was was definitely an operator,” Mr Parker said.
Sergeant Jon Ellks of Kinglake Police confirmed they are investigating the thefts and vandalism and running an on-going operation around the Toolangi Forest in an effort to catch the offenders.
He said police wish to speak with the owners of two vehicles photographed by security cameras on January 19 at the Chalmers coop. He urged local residents to report any suspicious behaviour to “000”.
“We have no doubt someone would know who the offenders are,” Sgt Ellks said.
“We urge them to contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000, anonymously if they prefer, and will follow up any leads.”