Clean Up Australia Day celebrated 35 years of improving and conserving our environment one piece of litter at a time at Narrandera and surrounding towns on Sunday.
Thirty-five years ago Ian Kieran had a simple idea to make a difference in his own backyard and Clean Up Australia day has since become Australia’s largest community-based environment event.
Narrandera Landcare and community volunteers never miss a chance to join in and do a bit of Narrandera backyard cleaning! Twenty keen and energetic volunteers, including the kids, joined forces on Sunday to clean up a few designated areas around Narrandera.
Within the space of just under two hours, two trailers and four ute tray-loads were soon filled up and taken to the tip.
A huge thank you is extended to everyone who was able to help with this year’s Clean Up Narrandera event.
The children and adults had a very productive and satisfying morning and a few spots in Narrandera look a whole lot cleaner because of the great team efforts of everyone.
Spokesperson for Narrandera Landcare, Sue Ruffles, commented that, even if people have missed the actual Clean Up event, Landcare can supply rubbish bags and gloves to people who take the time to clean-up all-year-round.
If anyone wants to take up this offer, Sue invites people to reach out via messenger to Narrandera Landcare Group.
Following Sunday’s busy clean-up of thrown and dumped rubbish, everyone enjoyed a lovely morning tea at the Community Food Garden located at the Narrandera Showground.
Narrandera Landcare has a wonderful productive food garden and propagation area. Anyone is most welcome to go along every or any Saturday morning from 8.30am for an hour or so, or for whatever time people can spare.
“It is great way to keep up with local Landcare activities is to follow Narrandera Landcare Group on Facebook. If anyone wants to get more personally involved then it’s an open and genuine invitation to become a member the Narrandera Landcare Group for just $25 and, when you can make it, to come along to a monthly meeting,” Ms Ruffles said.
Meetings are held at 5pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc office across the road from the library.
There are many people in our community who take the time to clean up rubbish along the streets, road sides and bush areas and find this a really rewarding thing to do.
Ms Ruffles has met a few of these people and everyone seems to say the same thing that they wish others would take their rubbish with them and/or use bins made available.
“At times people come across larger illegal dumps of rubbish and Landcare advises that the best way to get these cleaned up is to either call Narrandera Shire Council to report on 69595510 or make a direct report online to Report Illegal Dumping (RIDonline).
There is a lot of easy practical advice and links on the NSW EPA website too.
“Cleaning Up Australia in our own ‘backyards’ and doing our little bit everyday goes a long way to help maintain our beautiful surrounds so that we can all enjoy healthy, safe and relaxing places when we are out-and-about where we visit and live.”
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 6 March 2025.
