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Melbourne Water’s WaterWatch team celebrated the dedication and impact of local volunteers this National Volunteer Week, hosting an event at the Western Treatment Plant recognising their outstanding contribution to protecting waterways and ecosystems across Greater Melbourne.
National Volunteer Week (18-24 May) is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering and provides an important opportunity to say thank you to the people who generously give their time, energy and care to their communities.
One of those volunteers is Whitehorse local Gay Gallagher, 81, and her husband Frank, 78, who have been volunteering at the Yarran Dheran Nature Reserve for more than two decades. She says there’s nothing more rewarding than surrounding yourself with committed and enthusiastic people.
Gay has been volunteering for 24 years, caring for the seven-hectare Yarran Dheran Nature Reserve and Mullum Mullum creek, a key habitat corridor in Melbourne’s outer east that boasts a diverse variety of native plants, birds, and wildlife.
Their small but dedicated group of five volunteers carry out monthly water quality testing, while the Yarran Dheran Advisory Committee members lead activities such as bird and frog surveys, working bees, and the community environmental activities program.
According to Gay, volunteering, “has got absolutely nothing to do with age”.
“When it comes to volunteering, you can do so many different things to contribute, it’s not all working bees and digging holes, there’s administrative skills we need, organisational skills, IT skills, all those are essential – and just getting along well with people, that’s essential as well,” Gay said.
While Gay serves as Secretary on the Yarran Dheran Advisory Committee, her husband Frank looks after and maintains all the water testing equipment, no small feat given their group is the only active one monitoring sites along the Mullum Mullum Creek.
“It feels like valuable work, it feels good to be useful and there’s always such satisfaction in handing over that data, but there’s a pleasure in it too at a local level – finding out how good the water is in the [Mullum Mullum] creek, that’s great,” she said.
“I’d say to people who are interested in getting involved, ‘don’t be shy’ - it’s an opportunity to give back to the community and do something so worthwhile.”
Through Melbourne Water’s program, close to 5,000 volunteers, landholders, students, community groups and individuals were supported to get involved with their local waterways and environment last year.
Melbourne Water’s Acting Manager Community Capacity Building, Leesa Riley, said the event was an opportunity to shine a spotlight on WaterWatch volunteers, whose ongoing commitment helps safeguard local rivers, creeks and wetlands.
“I am in awe of the volunteers we partner with and the real impact they are having across the Melbourne catchment to improve biodiversity and waterway health, not only for their local environment, but for the communities they work with,” she said.
WaterWatch volunteers play a vital role as citizen scientists, regularly monitoring water quality and vital species health across Greater Melbourne, from waterbugs and frogs to platypus. The data they collect is shared with Melbourne Water, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and local councils, helping to identify priorities and guide local actions to improve waterway health.
“Our volunteers deserve a massive thank you every day and recognising their efforts during National Volunteer Week by bringing volunteers together for an afternoon so that we can thank them in person and highlight the collective impact they have made is just amazing.”
Volunteering with WaterWatch offers people a meaningful way to connect with nature, develop skills and contribute to the health of their local environment. Volunteers receive free, specialised training and ongoing support from a dedicated WaterWatch Coordinator and work together in local monitoring groups across Greater Melbourne.
As National Volunteer Week invites Australians to reflect on the power of volunteering, Melbourne Water is encouraging others to get involved and to contribute to healthier rivers, stronger communities and a more sustainable future.
Anyone interested in becoming a WaterWatch volunteer can find a local monitoring group by browsing the WaterWatch map or searching by address.
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