A witness account posted to the Glebe Locals Facebook group has sparked a heated debate among residents after a group of schoolboys was seen fighting and filming the altercation at Wentworth Park on a recent afternoon.
The anonymous poster, identified only as EfficientParrot5580, said they observed the incident between 3:20 and 3:30 pm.
According to the post, a circle of roughly 8 to 10 boys had gathered around two others who were wrestling on the ground.
The witness described the behaviour as rough rather than playful, noting that one boy pinned the other down at the end and celebrated with arms spread wide, apparently revelling in his victory. The incident was also being filmed by those present.
A Community Alert, Not an Accusation
The original poster was careful to stress they were not pointing the finger at anyone specifically. The post urged parents whose sons came home distressed that afternoon to reach out privately for more details.
The witness also addressed those who might question why they did not step in, explaining they were driving at the time and pulled over to monitor the situation until it appeared to have resolved itself.
“I’m not sure whether this is considered content creation nowadays or something more concerning,” the poster wrote, encouraging parents to have conversations with their children about filming fights and rough behaviour within peer groups.
One commenter, Eliza Ca, raised a practical issue with the anonymous post, pointing out that when someone posts without revealing their identity on Facebook, other users are unable to send them a private message, which somewhat undermines the original invitation to contact the poster directly.
When you post anonymously, you can’t be messaged.
Eliza Ca
The Community Weighs In
The post quickly drew a range of reactions, reflecting a generational and cultural divide in attitudes toward boyhood conflict.
Josh Smart was among those who pushed back against the concern, arguing the boys were simply working out their differences the old-fashioned way.
“It’s Glebe so it’s normal,” he commented, adding that since no weapons were involved and no one was being jumped, bystanders should mind their own business.
Mort Porker echoed that sentiment, though with conditions attached, suggesting the outcome was acceptable provided the fight had been conducted fairly, and both parties accepted the result.
Josh SmartI agree as long as one of them wash bashed fair and square and the other conceded defeat never to fight again even under duress
Mort Porker
Not everyone agreed. The original poster responded directly to Josh Smart, asking whether he would feel the same way if his own child were on the receiving end of punches.
“What feels normal to one person or household doesn’t mean everyone else has to accept violence as harmless or acceptable behaviour,” they replied.
Josh Smart
Lesley Ch called the filming aspect particularly troubling, suggesting the footage would likely be used to humiliate the boy who lost. “It is not OK for young boys to use violence,” she wrote, adding that comments normalising such behaviour were part of the problem.
This sounds awful. Filming a fight. Bet this is used to ridicule one of them.
Lesley Ch
BTW it is not ok for young boys to use violence. No wonder they do when we read the comments here that consider it a good way to sort out differences.
Several residents urged a more official response. Arugla169 asked directly whether the police had been called, while EnthusiasticFish5104 encouraged the parents of any boy who had been targeted to contact authorities, noting it was not too late to make a report.
The incident has yet to be formally reported, and police have not made any public comment.
