Circus Monoxide has been left to foot a $2000 repair bill after thieves went to extreme measures to access a sum of petty cash.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Fairy Meadow site was targeted on Friday night, with a large pane of glass shattered and an office door broken.
Circus manager Jonathan Christley said this followed a spate of break-ins last year. Then, as now, there was scarcely anything on the site worth stealing, he said.
“The most annoying thing is they break in and cause all this damage, then steal $100 or a really old computer – and they do it three times,” he said.
“I think the amount that has been stolen over those four occasions would not equal the cost of the damage that has been incurred by any one of the (break-ins).”
Mr Christley said the damage bill may affect the number of programs the circus school was able to offer.
As a charity, the group operated “on the smell of an oily rag”. It operates programs for disadvantaged communities, including people with a disability, refugee children and young people who no longer attend school.
“Spending thousands of dollars on repairs is money we can’t spend on our programs,” Mr Christley said.
The matter has been reported to Wollongong Police.
Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 to provide information that could assist with the police investigation.