For days Campbelltown Council was adamant that it had lawfully impounded this van and trailer belonging to East Campbelltown Eagles which had been parked inside their home ground, Waminda Oval.
Council relied on legislation dealing with unattended property in public places and said it was responding to complaints from the public.
But that’s not how a furious club president Daniel Draper saw it.
“The Campbelltown Council has STOLEN our van, trailer and its contents,’’ he thundered in an email he sent to councillors, the general manager and senior staff, as well as several media outlets.
The van provides storage for game day equipment such as corner pads, chairs, esky and stretcher.
Mr Draper firmly believed that hiring the ground from council every season implied permission to park the van on the side of the playing field.
As well as asking Cr Darcy Lound to intervene, Mr Draper lodged a complaint about the conduct of the park ranger who had organised the impounding of the trailer and the van.
Complicating matters, council responded that the van was an unregistered vehicle.
They also informed Mr Draper that he would have to pay a fine and for the cost of having the van and trailer returned – but at a private address, not Waminda Oval.
With the weekend coming up and games scheduled at Waminda Oval, Mr Draper demanded the return of the van as the spat turned into a Mexican stand-off of epic proportions.
“The van and trailer is a huge help to our game day storage and operations,’’ Mr Draper wrote as he pleaded to have them returned to the club asap.
“The van and trailer is NOT an abandoned or unattended vehicle as suggested by the park ranger. This was mentioned clearly to the park ranger when he called Saturday week ago.’’
Eventually, and with time running out before the weekend round of junior football, Jim Baldwin, the council director of city planning and environment not only launched an inquiry into the stand-off but put himself in charge of it.
“I initiated a full review of all aspects of the action undertaken by the Council officers involved, in an attempt to establish whether or not the impounding of your van and trailer was lawful in every respect,’’ he wrote later in an email informing Mr Draper of the result of the inquiry.
“Given the oncoming game day and the importance of that to the East Campbelltown Eagles community, I have committed to completing my review before Friday, regardless of the outcome,’’ Mr Baldwin wrote.
“On reviewing each of the steps that Council staff undertook when initiating the action relating to your vehicles, I could find no evidence of Council officers obtaining your permission to issue you with an electronic notice by text message.’’
Mr Baldwin was referring to notices issued via text messages to Mr Draper requiring him to remove the van and trailer before it was impounded by council.
“As my review has found no evidence of you providing such permission, my opinion is that the electronic notices issued to you by text message on 15 July 2023 have been issued in error, are therefore invalid, and considered not to have been issued at all,’’ Mr Baldwin wrote in the email to the club president.
“On behalf of the Council, I would like to apologise for the nuisance and inconvenience this matter has caused you and the East Campbelltown Eagles community. Please be assured that measures have already been implemented to prevent similar occurrences in the future.’’
Mr Draper graciously replied with: “Thank you for your email and the safe return of our van, trailer and contents. It was just dropped off at my residence. Thank you for your apology and I accept your apology.’’
