Brisbane suburb Wynnum struggles with ‘explosion of eshays’ as locals desperately look for solutions

Locals in a seaside Australian town are desperately looking for innovative solutions as an ‘explosion of eshays’ causes havoc in their quiet community.

Residents of Wynnum, just outside of Brisbane, are calling for the police to take action against the growing number of lawless youths.

The community Facebook group is dominated by rants about eshays, with residents complaining about their antics.

Eshays are easily identified by their matching designer sportwear, polo shirts, Nike TN sneakers and generally menacing attitude towards citizens and younger teens.

Residents in the seaside suburb of Wynnum, 26km east of Brisbane, (pictured, Wynnum Esplanade) are concerned over the ever-growing number of eshays tormenting their community

Locals believe the youth counter culture is having a serious impact on the community with many fearing to walk the streets. More teenagers are allegedly embracing life as an ‘eshay’ (pictured) , causing havoc at the local train stations and shopping centres

One angry resident in his 40s said he lived during a time of youth counter-culture, which included chavs, skins, punks, mods, clubbies, groms, surfies and bikies, but noted eshays were ‘a new breed of youth’.

‘The Wynnum eshays seem to be nothing more than a pimped-out designer clad flock of bin chickens in human form,’ he wrote.

‘They are hanging out at our train stations and supermarkets, and pack hunting the vulnerable. Wynnum, we have a problem, eshays.

‘What are they doing here? Are they a threat to polite society? Possibly. What are we doing about it? Nothing it seems.’

The locals accused eshays of stealing cars, mugging commuters at the train station and intimidating families and the vulnerable and said polite residents were helpless to stop them.

‘These little punks know the law, and polite society are being polite, we just whinge behind our glasses of wine when we are safe at home,’ he wrote.

He adds Saturday is the eshay’s ‘holy day’; running amok as they do not have school.

‘It’s the eshay holy day, no school (if they still go), all day to run amok,’ he wrote. 

‘Where are the police in Wynnum? Stop appeasing these teenage Polo Lauren popped Collar wearing Punks.’

One local labelled eshays as ‘nothing more than a pimped-out designer clad flock of bin chickens in human form’ as they are easily identified by their matching designer sportwear, polo shirts, Nike TN sneakers and generally menacing attitude

Another resident wrote that they spotted between 30 and 40 eshays trying to fight each other and felt unsafe walking in her hometown.

‘I saw a lady telling them to get out of the car park and was so worried for her,’ she wrote.

‘Just feral. Sad when you don’t even feel very safe walking around your own town.’

They believed more police patrols would do little to curb the issue, and instead called for more community engagement with troubled youths.

Residents are looking for creative ways to reduce the number of eshays in the suburb including free wi-fi for teens and engaging community activities

‘Access to free activities (eg community centre/youth drop in/rec programs, free food) is a helpful strategy, but the challenge is getting the kids agreeable and engaged from the start,’ one resident said. 

Another claimed: ‘Best community tool is entertainment.  Bored kids make their own entertainment, funnel that energy into something useful/non-destructive. Skate Parks, Pump Tracks, events etc etc.’

Other users offered more creative solutions to Wynnum’s eshay problem.

‘Years ago I saw on the news that some train stations started playing really loud classical music I think, maybe some other types of music, it ended up with large groups moving on from the space,’ another said.

‘Change youth detention centres into gaming centres,’ another person wrote. ‘Get them addicted to World of Warcraft or Fortnight or whatever the kids are playing. Give them a new pc and monthly steam credits until they hit 18.’

Locals are urging  Wynnum police (pictured) to take action against eshays especially on Saturday, which has been labelled the eshay ‘holy day’ as the teenagers do not have school and run amok