Dance studio devastation
Yet another night of senseless actions has brought more misery to Townsville’s growing list of victims of crime. The owner of Astara Dance Company Tara Howard is understandably “shattered” after her timber studio in Currajong was “deliberately” set alight in the early hours of Thusrday morning.
But the heartache the extensive damage the blaze caused will also be felt by many more young students who have now been robbed of their safe rehearsal space ahead of their annual performance showcase.
Ms Howard was told by police her studio was ablaze about 1.45am yesterday.
“I got in my car and rushed down to see the studio on fire,” she said.
“I was standing across the road, watching it fall to pieces in front of my eyes and there was nothing I could do about it.
“I haven’t been able to enter the premises yet to assess the damage but what I had to do was notify all of our parents, hundreds of families, that there was an incident of youth crime and we were targeted.” Police say initial investigations indicate that two bins were deliberately set on fire and it spread to the wooden wall of the studio building, causing significant structural damage.
Two juveniles are assisting officers with their inquiries.
The fire follows a spate of incidents across Townsville that have been linked to juvenile offenders in a crime scourge that has no end in sight.
It was reported yesterday that victim of crime and former Katter’s Australian Party candidate Clynton Hawks is organsing an anti-crime rally on June 17.
He’s also hoping the newlyappointed Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer will take the opportunity to attend and hear first-hand from locals about what’s happening on the ground of Townsville’s youth crime crisis.
“She’s new to the role, so she should definitely come up and hear what’s happening on the ground from victims of crime,” he said.
A spokesman from the Youth Justice Minister’s office said she is hoping to attend the rally if her schedule permits. She will also be visiting Townsville next week.