Seventeen volunteers braved wet and windy weather on Sunday morning to clean up public areas around Somerville Railway Station, with four trailer loads of rubbish taken to the tip.
The clean-up was organised by Somerville Business Group (SBG) as part of the Clean Up Australia initiative, after the group identified the centre of town around the railway station as an eyesore.
SBG Registers As Clean Up Australia Participant
David Livingstone from SBG said the idea to take part in Clean Up Australia came from Jenna Bell from Bell’s Creative Landscaping.
One of the group’s members then contacted Clean Up Australia and registered a Clean Up Somerville day.
David from Somerville Business Group said the group wanted to target areas that had become visibly affected by dumped rubbish.
SBG identified that the centre of town was an eyesore around the railway station.
Car Park And Public Toilet Areas Targeted
Volunteers concentrated on the car park opposite Mechanics Hall and the public toilets near the railway station.
The clean-up also covered the Frankston-Flinders Road side of the precinct, including the area around the toilets through to the crossover points at both ends.
Items removed included mattresses, cots, prams, scooters, tyres, bench tops, blankets, tents and general waste.
Mornington Peninsula Shire provided tip vouchers to assist with disposal of the collected rubbish.
Community Members Turn Out In Wet Weather
SBG said it was pleased to see strong community involvement despite the conditions, with students from Somerville Rise Primary School and Somerville Secondary College taking part.
Paul Mercurio MP, the Member for Hastings, attended the clean-up, along with Frank Schiefler, the Liberal candidate for Hastings.
SBG also thanked Somerville Tyabb Rotary for the sausage sizzle, and Cafe by Paris and Vesbar for providing coffees on the day.
Future Clean-Up Areas Considered
David said SBG may look at Fruitgrowers Reserve and waterway areas through Somerville for a future clean-up.
Next time we may look at Fruitgrowers Reserve and the waterway areas through Somerville.
The group also encouraged local businesses to remove graffiti and urged residents who missed Sunday’s clean-up to take a rubbish bag to their local park.
SBG thanked all members and community volunteers who gave up their Sunday morning to help.
And to all the SBG members and other community members that helped out on a very wet and windy Sunday morning THANK YOU!!!
