New Year, same Lions beach clean-up

TORQUAY Lions worked their way along the foreshore and beach between the Children’s Playground at Elephant Walk and the Torquay Surf Club in their usual New Year’s morning clean-up.

Supported by the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC), the Lions have completed the task for more than 11 years.

Lions vice-president Allen Osman believed the beach and foreshore to be relatively clean compared with other years but one great danger to beachgoers continued year after year.

“We still find broken glass and empty bottles on the grass slopes and in the sand,” Allen said.

“We are now finding less rubbish left along the foreshore, but glass continues to concern us.

“As well this year, a fire was left burning not far from Cosy Corner and this too provided danger considering the weather conditions.”

The Lions extinguished the fire as part of their clean-up.

Several items were delivered to the Torquay Police Station in the hope their owners would claim them.

Valuable items such as a wallet with bankcards, a driver’s licence, car keys, a mobile phone and a pair of specs were handed over to police by Lion Bob Tyler.

“A couple of people would be worried when they could not find these things on New Year morning,” Bob said.

“Rubbish is one thing, but you would think people would be more careful with items they class as valuable. Taking the items to the police station is the best we can do.”