ALBURY Harness Racing Club officials have been left dumbfounded at the desperation of thieves to steal a 30-year-old hot water system at the rear behind its administration building.
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Club treasurer Henk van de Ven estimates the value of the hot water service to be around only $10 on the scrap metal market when a replacement unit and safeguards to prevent another theft will be more than $2000.
Another club official Jeff Hogan yesterday made the discovery of the missing hot water unit which was located at the rear of the building used by drivers and stewards at Albury trots meetings.
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The theft also resulted in the immediate area being flooded when the water lines were cut to remove the system.
"You would have to wonder why someone would do this," he said.
"The only thing I could think of is they want to sell it for scrap for cash for drugs.
"But we've been reliably informed by a plumber that the maximum scrap value for a hot water service of this vintage would be about $10."
The Albury Showgrounds are not protected by CCTV cameras with those responsible for stealing an air-conditioning unit from the same building about a year ago caught by police.
"What sort of low life would pinch a hot water service that has been working perfectly well for 30 years in situ?" Mr van de Ven queried.
"We're all volunteers at the end of the day.
"It just takes money out of what we can do in terms of maintaining harness racing in the area.
"The ducks are loving it because the area is flooded.
"But we've just wasted a few thousand litres of water and will be a lot of money to replace.
"The public needs to be made aware this is the sort of stuff that is going on in our community day in, day out unfortunately.
"We need members of the public to keep their eyes and ears open to help catch the offenders or prevent it from happening in the first place."
The club has reported the theft to police.
The Albury Showgrounds has recently undergone a master-planning process with key recommendations including reinstating the Mate Street entry, demolish the existing Heywood and Scammell pavilions and redevelop some existing pavilions to allow for multiple uses, which will cost more than $5 million.
Also, demolish and rebuild the stables area to enhance the training function of the track which would cost close to $7 million.
The stalls also need to be upgraded to Harness Racing NSW standards.
The club stages 10 meetings per year with its New Year's Eve event averaging about 5500 spectators.
