Register reaches community milestone

THE Bellarine Community Support Register (BCSR) reached a special milestone, signing up its 3,000th registrant earlier this month.

Register co-ordinator Denise Hibbins announced Ocean Grove resident, David Reid, as the 3,000th Bellarine resident to join the BCSR since its inception in 2006.

“It’s very exciting for the BCSR to reach this milestone,” Ms Hibbins said.

“We’re continuing to grow, we’re continuing to help the community, and at the moment we have between 25 and 30 dedicated volunteers that continue to make the Register a valuable asset to the region.”

Mr Reid, director of Ocean Grove-based business Match Up Badges and father of two, first heard about the Register through an informal conversation with BCSR chairperson Leonie Saundry.

“I was happy to support this initiative, to be a part of it, there are plenty of people living alone or with illness in the community,” Mr Reid said.

“It’s a great community initiative and it’s fantastic to see people volunteering their time towards maintaining it.

“We’ve got a lot of people in our household, so it is good to know that if the police turn up for any reason, they know our dogs’ names, our children’s’ names, and it just adds another element of safety.”

Ms Hibbins says the BCSR has also introduced a new keytag system for BCSR registrants who lose their keys.

If a registrant’s keys are handed into Ocean Grove’s Bellarine Police Station, they are then put in the station’s lost property box.

The keytag, which is part of the keychain, has a unique identification number, which police can use to contact the appropriate registrant.

For more information on the Bellarine Community Support Register, head to www.bellarineregister.org.au