Fish hatchery keen to take volunteer numbers upstream

FOR more than one hundred and fifty years, an ever-shifting group of volunteers has provided two particular types of fish for the region and beyond.

Operating since 1870, the Ballarat Fish Hatchery has served as the oldest hatchery in mainland Australia, stocking more than 90,000 and 100,000 fish per year for various dams, reservoirs and public sites, as well as Fisheries Victoria.

The only non-profit hatchery in the state, the volunteer-run venture focuses on growing brown and rainbow trout.

Committee member and sales organiser Bob Cartledge has been involved in the group for about 10 years, and said he still considers himself “one of the new boys” in the group.

“The average age of our members is always around 75 or more,” he said.

“It’s about a shared interest. I don’t do much aside from the hatchery and repair fishing rods, so fishing’s definitely a common link.”

The group sources 400,000 eggs a year from private farming dams and Lake Wendouree, with 6000 brown trout returned to the lake each year.

Averaging about 30 volunteers, Mr Cartledge said the group is looking to draw in new people.

“Ideally, we need a dozen more,” he said. “There’s a lot of manual work which a lot of the older members can’t manage.

“It’s entirely volunteer-run and we’re desperate for more. To volunteer only involves coming in Saturday and/or Thursday mornings for a few hours doing things like grass cutting, and grading and selling fish.

“Should you hang around a few months and decide you want to become a member, there’s no cost. The only difference is you get a key.”

Denis Faulkner has been secretary of the group for 12 years, and said he’s found his time with the hatchery to be incredibly rewarding.

“It’s quite a heavy workload for us,” he said. “The fish have to be fed, screens have to be cleaned, and everything else has to be monitored in the hatchery as well.

“This is almost a specialised men’s shed. We rely often on the expertise of people who’ve been here some time. Apart from the camaraderie, it’s a great experience.

“People learn new skills and might join a fishing club or angling club. It’s just good for men’s mental health as well.”

Contact the hatchery on 0419 156 474 or visit the group’s base at 80 Gillies Street North on Thursday and Saturday mornings to express interest in volunteering.