The Canberra Chargers wheelchair basketball club is back on the court thanks to the support of the Canberra community just days after their trailer full of essential equipment was vandalised.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On April 5 club president Rohan Foy received a call from Tennis ACT in Lyneham, where the trailer was stored, saying the trailer had been damaged in an attack but when he arrived the full extent of the loss was clear.
“The whole trailer had been stripped of all its external parts, we were left with just the shell of the trailer,” Foy said.
“Thankfully they didn't steal any of the wheelchairs inside but they stole wheels off the chairs and also all our basketballs, all our tools specific to fixing a wheelchair and our toolbox with all the spare tyres and tubes it in.”
Tennis ACT also lost about 30 tennis racquets, several large eskies, a box of balls, court-marking drop-down lines, extension leads and 17 cases of sports drinks in the attack.
A car which was in the carpark between Tennis ACT and the National Hockey Centre was also vandalised the same night.
Foy estimates his basketball club’s losses at more than $7000.
But less than 30 minutes after placing a notice on the Facebook page Canberra Notice Board he received three calls from strangers offering to help.
The post has since been shared more than 500 times.
“I put the post up hoping someone had seen something but when I started getting calls and messages I realised something else was in play,” he said.
“People were not only offering their support but we started getting offers of spare parts, money to fix the wheelchairs, basketballs, monetary donations, even man power to come and help fix the trailer.”
Foy was contacted by Anker Bodle from Anker Innovations who sent a staff member out to assess the damage on Friday morning. Foy then dashed off to pick up four new tyres, donated by Goodyear Tyre and Auto, Erindale, and by the time he returned staff from Anker Innovations were already fixing the external damage.
Foy and club members have been overwhelmed at the response to the incident.
“Our players are some of the most vulnerable people in the ACT, to see such a group being targeted, their equipment being targeted, you just can’t understand it.
“This is one of the few sports in Canberra that is accessible for people with a disability. Without this trailer and equipment a lot of people aren't going to be able to play sport. For some of our players with limited ability it’s the only social interaction for the entire week.”
The Canberra Chargers welcomes all players, of all abilities. With about 30 registered players from the ages of 11 to 54, the club promotes an inclusive way to experience sport. They compete in tournaments around the region, indeed an upcoming tournament in Young, NSW, due to be played on April 14, has been rescheduled to give the club time to get fully back on track.
“The trailer and the equipment took us about six years to put together,” says Foy. “It all cost us about $12,000 and we couldn’t have done it without sponsorship and support.
“We’re a community club and we’re thankful to the community once again for their support with this.”
Foy said there has been one spin-off he never saw coming from the incident: the club has picked up more players.
“We had some messages on Facebook and on Monday night’s training there were some new faces. It’s funny how it works.”
