19 June 2009

Robbery at the Belconnen Soccer Club in McKellar

| Nemo
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The Belconnen Soccer Club in McKellar was held up tonight at approx 9.45pm.

The robber reportedly had a gun or knife and made off with a large amount of money.

My family and I were at the club at the time, however we didnt even know it had happened until the police arrived.

There were police cars positioned along all the major roads leading out of the area.

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blackdoggette9:37 am 14 Aug 11

Court case re this is scheduled for May 2012. Understand approx 5? clubs are involved in total. Both perps are on remand.

Update – They caught the thieves a couple of weeks ago apparently whilst they were getting ready to knock off another club (so one of the staff at the Hawker Soccer Club has informed me).

Now they are being charged for both the robbery & another charge of intent.

I still wonder if they were the ones that robbed the club in Erindale the other week though.

Hells_Bells745:27 pm 20 Jun 09

Have to agree.. I’ve been going to McKellar since it opened over 12 yrs ago and my visits used to be much more regular (and heaps of my friends I would have with me that had ventured my way because the club was gr8 and to see me). To the point in the last couple of years of going down the labor club instead, even on a bus if I have to compared with one I can walk to if I like.

My kids love the addition of the park though when I have them with me. Great food generally too but I can ill afford them now (used to be the best & cheapest eat probably in Canb in the early days now very opposite) and mum shouts sometimes, which is nice.

Miss the live bands/karaoke nights too.

Nemo said :

BerraBoy – we’ve been regular patrons at both McKellar and Hawker for about 5 years. I dont know anything about the politics of the club, but can definitely see a decline in people over the last year or so, particularly at McKellar. We just put it down to a change in the caterer.

I’m pretty sure it’s the Management, Nemo. I’ve been going to the club in Hawker since it was bought as I was heavily involved in the soccer side of things. When Life members who, incidentally, mortgaged their house to buy the first licensed club get up at the AGM to ask question about the direction and future of the club etc. and the Chairman orders them to “shut up and stop asking stupid questions” you know the future is looking bleak.

BerraBoy – we’ve been regular patrons at both McKellar and Hawker for about 5 years. I dont know anything about the politics of the club, but can definitely see a decline in people over the last year or so, particularly at McKellar. We just put it down to a change in the caterer.

Th

Ivan76 said :

I hate how you have to provide your membership card every time you get a drink in order to get member prices at thre soccer club (which are the same prices as other clubs anyway).

Such a waste of time…..

Of topic a tad but.. the whole Belconnen Soccer Club, as licensed premises, are going downhill since the current Chairman took over. When he started distancing the Soccer club from the licensed club he lost a lot of support. When a few Foundation and Life members threw their membership cards on the floor during the last AGM, vowing never to return, I knew I no longer wanted to be associated with the licensed club again either (and I spent a good part of 20 years virtually living at the club in Hawker on weekends, so it hurt me to say that). There’s also a few un-answered questions about money that was meant to be used for a scholarship that seems to have gone missing.

Back on topic, I’m surprised it’s not knocked over more often, it’s a log way from the nearest cop shop.

blackdoggette10:37 am 20 Jun 09

I was there too – playing trivia then later playing pokies. Saw everything…..they came past me a foot away on way into office… Gun and kitchen knife – will NEVER forget the knife……snuck away after they went into office and told trivia guy to call cops. I ran out front with him. It was all over in less than a minute…..

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy8:11 am 20 Jun 09

staff are always advised to give the person what they want. no point dying over the takings. That is what insurance is for.

Back in the mid 90’s when I worked in a servo part time we had the same policy. I had a shifty looking character turn up once and ask if I was concerned about being held up. I told him there was bugger all cash on the premises anyway, because even then most people were paying by credit/debit card.

I told the boss about the shifty looking character, but noone knew him and he never showed up again.

I hate how you have to provide your membership card every time you get a drink in order to get member prices at thre soccer club (which are the same prices as other clubs anyway).

Such a waste of time…..

Yes. I was. I apologise for my dad. He is weird.

Lobster – we were the team sitting next to you playing trivia (Club Seals). I was talking to someone from your team (your dad?) when it happened.

Hey wow. I was there too.
We came second in the quiz!
We walked past all these people standing out the front and we saw Chris on the phone. Wondered what it was all about… Got into my car and drove away. Got a call from my parents a minute later telling me what happened.
Perhaps they could move the poker machine pay area around to the bar or something?
Bit hard for a smaller club to have to employ an entrance person and a pokie person seperately though.

Skidbladnir said :

@mp2615:
In a potential armed-violence situation with an already basic risk to human safety, there wouldn’t be much incentive to making it more difficult, balancing any decrease to risk of cash loss off against increased risk to patrons.

The day’s take for an off-payweek Thursday should be replaceable pretty quickly and is an insurance claim anyway, whereas a dead patron\injured bystander isn’t a simple problem.

and staff are always advised to give the person what they want. no point dying over the takings. That is what insurance is for.

@mp2615:
In a potential armed-violence situation with an already basic risk to human safety, there wouldn’t be much incentive to making it more difficult, balancing any decrease to risk of cash loss off against increased risk to patrons.

The day’s take for an off-payweek Thursday should be replaceable pretty quickly and is an insurance claim anyway, whereas a dead patron\injured bystander isn’t a simple problem.

yes I was in the pokie lounge. I saw nothing. A female patron outside said she saw it all and got the number plate. Cop cars everywhere. From the clubs point of view, probably not the best to have the office/safe at the front of the club. makes it pretty easy

I hope they get the bastards too, I was at the Hawker club last night as well but didnt hear anything about it till I logged on just then…

canberratowie29:55 am 19 Jun 09

I work at a club in the belconnen area and we were informed about 10 minutes after it happened I was also told by someone who was at the soccer club that he had no idea it had happened till the club made an announcement saying the club was closing as it had just been held up !

I was told there were 2 robbers one with a gun and one with a machete

All these clubs getting knocked over is making everyone that works in the club industry very nervous

A regular patron at the club I work at told me there was a car pulled over a short time later on Ginninderra dr and 2 guys laying face down hand cuffed Fingers crossed the cops got the bastards !!!

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