by Shane Sody
SA Police are investigating a series of arson attacks in your Adelaide Park Lands.
The arson attacks started just after midday on Saturday 27 December.
The following morning, police advised:
About 12.30pm on Saturday 27 December, police and firefighters were called to Veale Gardens in the south parklands by reports of smoke. A small grass fire was extinguished.
Then around 7pm, emergency services responded to another grass fire in the southern parklands near Sir Lewis Cohen Avenue.
On arrival, fire crews extinguished four separate fires within close proximity which are believed to have been deliberately lit.
Just before 11pm, another grass fire was reported near West Terrace which burnt a large section of grass.
Another apparent arson was carried out shortly before 11pm within the Narnungga urban forest (Park 25 of your Adelaide Park Lands) during an overnight dance party.
Last week, operators of the "movedance1999" Instagram account were promoting a free DJ event to run overnight, from 3.30pm on Saturday 27th December, until 6am the following morning.
The City of Adelaide normally would be expected to impose conditions upon events such as this, including a limitation on operating hours.
However one Thebarton resident who contacted us, Carol (not her real name) believes the event did not have approval:
"12 hours of thumping bass pretty much cancels working, study, sleep, visitors. Yes, it really is that loud and invasive.”
But Carol says the intense sound was not the only concern. She captured this fire burning in bushland near Port Road at 10.51pm.
Carol seems to be despondent about the future of this part of your Adelaide Park Lands.
“As the park no longer has water provided and maintenance is a bare minimum, not to mention the camps and dumping of rubbish, this is bound to happen more and more.
”To be honest, I think this park is being deliberately left to become a convenient "degraded area", making it ripe for development.
”I don't know what, if anything can be done. SAPOL can't do anything as noise complaints in a Park are Council responsibility, and Council can't or won't do anything to stop illegal events.
“If this park can be so abused, I don't have much hope for the rest.”
Location of the Narnungga urban forest in the western portion of Gladys Elphick Park / Narnungga (Park 25 of your Adelaide Park Lands).
The event publicists, movedance1999 have been approached for comment.
Here’s how the series of arson attacks was covered by Channel 7 news: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1907401129867380
