Vandals destroy Paeroa school and kindy buses

AuthorMiriam Burrell
Published date08 November 2021
Publication titleBay of Plenty Times
Video footage, shared by Paeroa Private Hire’s Deane Olsen, shows the extent of the damage caused to three buses parked on Francis St in Paeroa on Saturday.

Windows were smashed with what appeared to be metal pipes and rocks.

Shards of glass and rocks littered bus seats and broken glass bottles left strewn on the ground. A metal pipe was left wedged in the middle of one windscreen.

What appeared to be blue grease was smeared over the body of the buses and on rear-view mirrors, and eggs were also thrown at the vehicles.

The words “F*** me daddy” were seen graffitied on the back of one bus.

Olsen received a call from police on Saturday evening alerting her to the wilful damage.

“I saw the buses and I’m like, you’re kidding me,” she said.

She started the company 10 years ago with one small bus, and had purchased a new bus only three weeks ago. Both were destroyed, along with a third.

“The little bus that’s down there, that’s the kindy bus, that’s the bus I got ... about nine years ago. I always kept it and now it’s our little dedicated kindy bus,” Olsen told the Herald.

“I was looking at it, and it’s got glass all through it, and I was just thinking, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put them in it again,” she said through tears.

Before the Delta community outbreak, her team of drivers were transporting 138 children to schools including Hauraki Plains College, Netherton School and Hikutaia School. Central Kids Kindergarten in Paeroa were using her services once a week.

Olsen said she does it for the community and does not make a profit, just enough...

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