Community group recruiting for river work

WITH a wealth of projects to be done around town, the Smythesdale Progress Association is looking for volunteers to lend a helping hand.

The group is run solely on volunteer work and Dennis Ross, former president of SPA, said the current recruitment drive for more people is primarily due to their work at the Woady Yaloak River.

“We are short of volunteers, especially with what we’re doing down there at the river,” he said.

“It’s a real hands-on sort of thing that the Shire and DWELP just haven’t done, so we’re getting down and getting dirty doing it ourselves.

“It’s totally overgrown with gorse, blackberry and hawthorn. You can walk along the river between Whites Road and Snake Valley Road, and you won’t even see water. It’s just infested.”

While the river is SPA’s current priority, volunteers are also needed for gardening work at Brewery Dam and the community gardens, as well as a tree planting session later in the month to build koala habitats.

For over three years, the group has been registered with the Department of Health and Human Services to be paired with jobseekers looking for volunteer work.

Mr Ross said the group hasn’t seen many since signing up with the jobseeker program, and that at least eight extra people are wanted for the river maintenance alone.

“There’s two of us spending about 30 hours a week down in the river. We need to see it through before it gets too wet to work there,” he said.

“We’re trying to open the creek up so people can use it as part of their morning walks, or just to enjoy it as is. It’s something that needs to be looked after.

“There’s a lot to be done around town, but with only half a dozen workers around, we can’t get much done.”

To volunteer, call Mr Ross on 0418 503 938 or SPA’s secretary and treasurer Bill MacNeil on 0409 145 267.