THESE sunny winter days are perfect for working on invasive weeds infesting our beautiful bushland around the beaches and creeks at South West Rocks.
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The enthusiastic volunteers at South West Rocks Community Dune Care will be at it again on Sunday, June 28, from 9am to 12pm at Back Creek.
"Sadly, given the COVID-19 restrictions, we can only invite our existing volunteers," said SWR Community Dune Care president Ian Burnett.
"We can't train new volunteers with appropriate social distance. And we won't be able to offer our usual fabulous morning tea and barbecue lunch to share.
"Instead volunteers will have to bring their own morning tea and we'll stop work at noon.
"We'll be contacting our volunteers directly via text and email with all the arrangements."
The community environmental group had two teams of 10 volunteers at their last working bee at Back Creek in May.
"We contributed 61 hours of volunteer weeding and covered about 1.4 hectares of bushland," Ian said.
"We haven't worked in that area for a year, while the footbridge was closed, so it was satisfying to see lots of native plants thriving and the weeds were really manageable.
"It's amazing how much a group of 20 keen volunteers can achieve."
This month SWR Community Dune Care is hosting seven visiting volunteers from Sydney, who stay at Arakoon House.
In the mornings they weed various patches of local bushland and spend the afternoons and evenings enjoying the Macleay Valley.
"Our visiting volunteer program really helps us maintain our local bushland," Ian said.
"Four of this month's volunteers have come every year for more than 10 years. They are tremendously supportive of our work and make a big contribution each time they visit."
With major funding from the NSW Environmental Trust and a great turnout of enthusiastic volunteers, South West Rocks Community Dune Care has achieved award-winning success restoring huge areas of publicly-owned bushland over 16 kilometres of coastline from the mouth of the Macleay River to south of Smoky Cape lighthouse over the past 25 years.
The community group is also supported by National Parks and Wildlife Service, Kempsey Shire Council and Local Land Services North Coast.
Volunteers are asked to meet at 8.45am on Sunday, June 28, at the footbridge at Back Creek, off Buchanan Dr, South West Rocks.
For more information see Facebook SWRcommunitydunecare, or phone Alan Hill on 0419 012-640.
