No room to sleep at Collie’s one night stand

by Craig Donohue

April 29, 2008

A HEAVY police presence, and well behaved crowds, made Triple J’s One Night Stand in Collie a success on the weekend.

Crowds were generally well behaved, with just 13 drug offences and only three people charged with disorderly conduct out of the 14,000 partiers.  

While nearly tripling the population of the country town, the event was heavily patrolled by security guards and police on the streets and every exit from town.

Pubs and shops were packed during the day, leading to disruptions to everyday life for local residents.

 “It was only one day and the event was a great boost for Collie,” said Darren Simmons from the Shire of Collie Council.

Although generally well organised, accommodation was a big issue for some people, with many waiting until the early morning in their cars to avoid the police blockades and drive home.

Terri Russell, who travelled from Perth for the concert, tried without luck for the past three weeks to get accommodation.

“It was just impossible to find anywhere” she said.

“After mining contracts and rooms for the police, we had hardly any [accommodation] left,” said Dianne Suck, manager of Collie Motel. “I’ve spent half the month telling people to try somewhere else.”

Plans to carry out sobriety tests when re-entering the event also seem to have been shelved, with many revellers going to their cars to drink before going back to listen to the bands.

“Some people were getting really drunk in the car before heading back in and the police were turning a blind eye to it” Ms Russell said.

The event is an annual competition for rural communities to host a concert. The Collie gig was the fifth held by Triple J and was headlined by Cog with Pnau, with Faker supporting.