Lara footballers lend a hand at Serendip

THE newly-formed volunteer group Friends of Serendip Sanctuary was joined by members of the Lara Football Netball Club, representatives of the Community Bank and Lara MP Ella George for a working bee at the beloved community reserve earlier this month.

For the Lara FNC club, the event formed part of its season launch activities and brought together members of its men’s and women’s senior teams, along with some of the club’s under-18 players.

To support park rangers to re-establish feral-proof enclosures at the sanctuary, the volunteer group’s efforts last Saturday were focused on clearing hazardous trees and fuel loads around the site’s existing enclosures.

Friends of Serendip Sanctuary founder Joy Thorup Andersen, who formally launched the group in November last year, said she was thrilled with the efforts of the volunteers as work continues to revitalise the ailing precinct.

“Many hands make light work,” she said.

“What they completed in two hours would have taken a single ranger two weeks to complete.”

But she said there is plenty more work still to do at the site, as she aims to use Friends of Serendip Sanctuary as a vehicle to create opportunities for people to connect with nature while enhancing biodiversity at the reserve.

“Whether it’s just a social walk all the way through to doing some weeding and watering and planting… there’s plenty of opportunities to get your hands dirty,” Ms Thorup Andersen said.

For more information, or to get involved, head to campsite.bio/friendsofserendipsanctuary, the group’s Facebook page or email [email protected]