MRAG members at the awards ceremony, from left, Maria Machese, Frances Hayward, Robert Hendy, Mick Corrie, Bob Lillie, Nancy Watson and Bert Sanders. Absent from the photo president Maureen Halit and member Barry Hayward. 76431
By Kath Gannaway
THE Millgrove Residents Action Group (MRAG)has been named Community Group of the Year in Yarra Ranges Council’s Australia Day Awards.
Members of the group, and nine individual community members from across the shire were honoured for their community service at a ceremony at Burrinja Community Centre in Upwey on Australia Day.
MRAG president Maureen Halit said members were thrilled with the award which she said was an encouraging pat on the back for the hard work they do.
The group was established about eight years ago and adopted the slogan “Millgrove, a place we are proud to call home”.
It’s a slogan the group’s members takes seriously as they quietly go about their work helping people in need and establishing dozens of projects to improve and beautify the small Warburton Highway township.
Listing their achievements at the ceremony, Yarra Ranges’ Mayor Graham Warren said the group had been involved in a safety program, Anzac Day dawn services, a community mowing project, Carols by Candlelight, planting along the Yarra River bank, a quarterly community market, public information meetings, and run an ongoing taskforce to remove graffiti.
They engaged an artist to design and paint a mural on the walls of the local toilet block to further deter graffiti.
Caring for the Avenue of Honour is part of a project currently on the drawing board to erect a pergola to display war service names and historical photos.
Cr Warren said the group had also lent its support to the proposed hydroelectric scheme for Warburton.
Ms Halit said although the group is small with only 10 members, it was helping to build a pride in Millgrove that is catching on.
“We have had so many people come in over the last few weeks congratulating us on how good the town is looking and we’re getting more volunteers,” she said.
“We have had so many people come in over the last few weeks congratulating us on how good the town is looking and we’re getting more volunteers,” she said.
“We have an elderly lady who comes down from Warburton and cleans up around the picnic tables and another man who has joined as a member and cleans up round the bridge.
“He’s just happy to help out and I think because everything is looking so much better people are feeling proud and want to lend a hand,” she said.
A community planting day in February will add a touch of spring colour to the township, and Ms Halit is encouraging people to join in and find out more about what MRAG is doing to make Millgrove a great place to live.
She added that receiving recognition as part of the Australia Day celebrations had special significance in terms of the aim of MRAG to encourage Millgrove residents to take pride in, and be proud of their town.
