THIEVES have swooped on the defunct Myuna Bay sports centre and stolen a range of property, including a caravan and two boats, despite the NSW government contracting round-the-clock security to protect the site.
Police are investigating the theft of a caravan, two small boats, a trailer and an outboard motor, which were identified as missing on Tuesday.
It follows the theft of two televisions screens and multiple two-way radios about four months ago from a tower belonging to Myuna Bay Water Ski Club, which used the centre as its base for skiing on Whiteheads Lagoon up until the closure of the centre in March.
Sources told the Herald the boats and trailer that were stolen belonged to the centre, run by the Office of Sport, while the caravan was owned by a staff member.
Myuna Bay Water Ski Club president Peter Atkinson said an outboard motor had been pinched from his club's locked shed, which followed the theft of the TV screens and radios earlier this year.
Related to this story: Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre to close after review of Eraring power station's ash dam(March 29, 2019)
The Office of Sport confirmed on Thursday "program equipment" had been stolen from the facility.
"On Tuesday, 1 October program equipment was stolen from Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre," a spokesperson said.
"The incident was immediately reported to Police and is now under investigation."
Questions about the value of the stolen items, the level of security at the centre and if changes had been made were not responded to.
The state government agency told the Herald in July the centre was being patrolled around the clock as part of a six-month contract worth more than $200,000.
Read more: New Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation review says closure rationale 'bizarre' (September 14, 2019)
"The Office of Sport engaged Veolia Environmental Services on 30 March 2019 to provide a security guard to be on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure access control of personnel and vehicle movements at key entry points, as well as ad-hoc foot patrols," a spokesperson said.
That contract is understood to have ceased and a new security firm installed on a temporary basis.
The centre has been closed since March, when the Office of Sport acted on Origin Energy's concerns that its nearby Eraring power station ash dam was susceptible in the event of major earthquake.
A subsequent community outcry triggered an independent review, ordered by Sports Minister John Sidoti, which returned in July but required further work.
The extra analysis was due back in September, but it is now expected to be returned in coming weeks.
The future of the centre is up in the air until that time, with permanent staff still on paid leave.
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