Parkes Dragon Boat Club members who took part in the club’s Clean Up Australia Day event at Lake Endeavour on Sunday are (L-R) Allan Gersbach, Harley Tom, Gemma Francis, Louise Moore, Robyn Teet, Jason Gosper, Beth and Bill Thomas, Janine Hando, Sue Griffey, David Potts and Deb Abela in front.
Members of the Parkes Dragon Boat Club not only love being on the water, but they also cherish the natural beauty of their training ground at Lake Endeavour.
The sad reality is that they pick up rubbish every week after their training session to keep the area as pristine as possible. Despite their weekly efforts, they managed to collect another ten bags of rubbish at their annual Clean Up Australia Day event last Sunday.
“I am so disappointed to see so much broken glass everywhere,” said Club President Bill Thomas. He said he was saddened by some of the items picked up and how people polluted such a beautiful environment.
“Thank you so much to the great group of members who stayed on to do the clean up and try to take care of such a wonderful asset to us and all other responsible people who love to use it.”
Parkes Dragon Boat Club member Janine Hando said it was well worth the effort. “Sadly there was a significant amount of rubbish, although I think the 10c return on recycling has reduced the amount of cans and bottles.” She also commented on how much broken glass was still everywhere, plus the usual amount of cigarette butts and well-known fast food containers.
“There was also a lot of fishing line, which poses a huge risk to the many species of birds around the lake,” said Janine. “It’s such a lovely area for the public, so we need to look after it!”
President Bill handed over Clean Up Thank You Awards to the members after their sterling effort.
Clean-Up Australia Day, started 30 years ago by ‘an average Australian bloke’ who had a simple idea to make a difference in his own backyard, has now become the country’s largest community-based environmental event.