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"What's happened here again?"
That's what was going through Maxine Campbell's mind as she arrived at the Scout Hall to find the back gates open.
She was first on scene when unknown offenders tried to gain access to the hall in early December.
A window was smashed in, that time.
"That one was the most shock because it's the first one that happened," Ms Campbell, 18, said.
The trainee assistant joey leader had taken on responsibility for keeping the garden at the scout hall alive during the holidays.
Bendigo scouts district commissioner Dan Cliff said the organisation was responding and would be doing everything in its power to improve the hall's security and make sure members and their families felt safe.
He said police had mentioned there had been a number of incidents targeting community buildings in recent weeks.
Mr Cliff was grateful for the broader community's support, which was evident in responses to the group's Facebook post about the trailer's theft.
Anyone wishing to support the 1st Eaglehawk Scout Group can make a donation through the Scouts Victoria website, ensuring they mention "1st Eaglehawk'" in the comments for a Paypal transaction.
Earlier
WORKS to make a central Victorian scouting hall more inclusive could be set back after a trailer and its contents were taken from the site.
A member of the 1st Eaglehawk Scout Group leadership team went to the hall on Simpsons Road on Tuesday afternoon to do some gardening and found the back gates open.
Bendigo scouts district commissioner Dan Cliff said a closer inspection showed the locks on the gate had been cut.
A trailer, which was partially donated to the group years ago, was missing.
Some large, heavy-duty pop-up gazebos were usually stored in the trailer.
"It's pretty gutting," Mr Cliff said.
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Having to replace the missing items would be costly, after a year of limited fundraising opportunities.
Mr Cliff said the group had been hoping to start remodelling the hall's bathrooms this year to make them single-occupancy and gender inclusive.
He hoped the group would not have to dip into that funding to pay the excess for insurance.
The 1st Eaglehawk Scout Group has more than 40 members.
Mr Cliff said news of the trailer's theft had been "pretty disheartening" for the members and their families.
The matter has been reported to police.
Bendigo police took to social media on Tuesday to advise community buildings such as churches, halls and sporting groups had been the target of crime in recent weeks, with several break-ins reported.
Story continues below embedded Facebook post
It came on the same day of a deliberately-lit fire at a Bendigo clothing store.
Anyone with information about the incidents at the 1st Eaglehawk Scout Group is urged to call the Bendigo Police Station on 5448 1300 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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