Thames charitable trust targeted by brazen thieves in overnight burglary

Seagull Centre staff, community waste educator Lucci Hennah (left), clothing merchandiser Te Ana Wharepapa, operations manager Vanya Wilson and drop-off supervisor Kate Jamieson, are disappointed after burglars targeted the site.

Thieves have targeted a charitable trust in Thames, allegedly taking $7000 worth of electrical goods.

The Seagull Centre is an award-winning, charitable trust and has been operating from Burke St, Thames, since 2004, where it runs a recycle store on the site of the Thames Refuse and Recycling Transfer Station.

Staff were shocked when they arrived for work at 7am on Tuesday to find locks on two doors had been broken, the shop was in a shambles, and about $7000 in electrical equipment was missing.

Seagull Centre community waste educator Lucci Hennah said it appeared a group of up to five people entered the facility through a fence between 3am and 5am on Tuesday.

The centre had CCTV footage which it had handed to police.

A police spokesperson confirmed staff had reviewed CCTV footage from the burglary and were following lines of inquiry.

“An investigation is ongoing following a burglary at a Burke St, Thames, address overnight.”

Hennah said the alleged offenders had attempted to disconnect the CCTV, but the technology was remote-capable.

“I’m not sure how many people have been involved, it seems they have left and come back, it was maybe another group of people; it was less than five people.”

The group had rummaged through the store, taking electronics and “making a lot of mess”, she said.

“We have passed the information on to police.”

Hennah said the site had been targeted by thieves before, but it was the first time the shop had been burgled.

“It is very disappointing.”

She said the trust employs 20 staff and offers recycling and education services.

“We are self-funded, we also distribute community grants; we help a lot of people in need, if they need help they can come and talk to us.

“We do a lot of work for the community.”

She said staff were still identifying missing items on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s maybe $7000 worth, it’s really disheartening and heartbreaking.”

Hennah said the trust had received a lot of support from the wider community following the burglary.

Operating as a social enterprise, the Seagull Centre is a community recycling and resource recovery facility generating revenue from the sale of goods and materials contributed by the local community.

The centre also provides education and training services on environmental management and assisting training students into work.

Where possible, the centre also contributes goods and grant funding to other organisations.

The Seagull Centre has gone through a major development to establish a resource recovery park in an effort to impact waste diversion from landfill.

A workshop was part of the expansion where donated goods can be reconditioned or upcycled for sale.

The resource recovery park development included the relocation of two disused classrooms from a local primary school, which are used for workshop space and skills training in the repair and rejuvenation of furniture, appliances and other equipment.

Domestic traffic bound for the refuse transfer station to dump unwanted goods is directed through the Seagull Centre where staff help customers sort out furniture and equipment that can be sold at the centre’s shop or reconditioned in the workshop.