Party brawl ‘disgrace’

By Kath Gannaway
POLICE and CFA volunteers were pelted with bottles and brawling teenagers sprayed with capsicum spray by police when hundreds of under-age drinkers went out of control at a 16th birthday party at Badger Creek Hall on Friday night.
The incident, which tied up nine police units from around the Yarra Valley and as far away as Belgrave and Mooroolbark, was described by Healesville police officer Senior Constable Chris Grasby as “a war zone” and “a disgrace”.
“They just have no respect,” he said.
Badger Creek CFA captain Nic Rodway said the incident was “disgusting”.
He said volunteers responding to a fire call at 2am had to be shepherded in and out of the station.
“As members turned up they had beer bottles thrown at them and their cars and there was a lot of broken glass at the front of the station,” he said.
He said police moved in to make sure the fire-fighters were safe and escorted them back in when they returned.
“Our members were quite disgusted but had nothing but praise for the way the police were handling what they were facing there,” he said.
The hall was booked to a local teenager and his mother on the premise there would be around 80 people attending and adult supervision.
Instead, after information about the party was posted on Myspace, hundreds of under-age teens and some 18 and 19 year olds poured into Healesville raising concern with local police.
Sen Const Grasby said they decided to shut the party down at about 10am after speaking with groups of young people from Croydon, Mooroolbark and Lilydale in Healesville who told them they were heading out to the party.
After finding more than 100 people already at the hall, with no adult supervision and about 90 per cent of the party-goers drinking under-age, he said Healesville called for back-up from Yarra Junction.
“They started hurling stubbies at us when we went back in and it ended up with about 20 police including the brawler van from Knox and the canine squad there tied up between 10.30pm and about 1.30am,” Sen Const Grasby told the Mail.
The incident is the second in less than a month where a 16th birthday party at the hall has resulted in police being called. Windows were broken at the hall and there are reports of damage at the nearby primary school and at the Healesville cemetery.
Police said on Sunday they will be investigating the matter further and as part of those investigations will be speaking with the party organisers.One male was arrested for assault and another is to be interviewed over incidents at the hall.