By KATH GANNAWAY
PEOPLE actually stop in their cars and say, ‘thank you’ to Ben and Ruth Aldridge.
The daily task of walking their dog when they first moved to Warburton in 2004 has morphed into a community service that has seen the tracks along the Yarra River transformed from rubbish-strewn to rubbish-free.
The couple, in their early seventies, said when they first moved to the town they were building a house, and although they didn’t have a lot of spare time, they started what had become a daily ritual.
“We had an old dog that we walked every day, and we took a plastic bag for the dog and an extra rubbish bag to put a few cans and bottles in,” Ruth said.
Having been a guide at Healesville Sanctuary, Ruth knew of the effect of rubbish on platypus.
“It distressed me to see all this rubbish that was going to end up in the river if something wasn’t done,” she said.
When the house was finished, Ben said they started to become a bit more professional, walking every day and attracting the support of the Warburton Advancement League and the Warburton Bendigo Community Bank.
Both organisations showed recognition of the important role the community-minded couple is playing in keeping the township clean and protecting the river by providing funds for trolleys, gloves and tongs.
“When our picker-upers wear out, they replace them,” Ben said, adding that they appreciated the recognition that the community showed for their efforts – including a complimentary cup of coffee at the local bakery each morning.
They take the time to stop and chat with regular walkers and visitors, and say they have met some wonderful people over the 10 or so years they have been on the job.
The greatest reward, however, is seeing the decrease in rubbish, and dog droppings, since they started.
Ben and Ruth believe that by being seen regularly picking up the rubbish that others drop, people are now becoming more responsible about disposing of their own rubbish.
It’s a theory that Yarra Ranges O’Shannassy Ward representative, Cr Jim Child, says is spot on.
“They send a message,” he said.
“You will see Ben having a conversation with young people along the trail, and I think a lot of it is about educating people … ‘this belongs to you and it’s so easy to look after’,” he said.
Cr Child said what the couple did each day in keeping Warburton’s main street clean and reporting on graffiti that needs to be dealt with, was an enormous contribution to the community they clearly loved.
“They are absolutely magnificent people,” he said.
“We would be lost without them.”
