By Jesse Graham
THE Rotary Club of Healesville is calling for donations to help rejuvenate the grounds of the Maroondah Reservoir Park, funding a group of passionate environmentalists.
Rotary is donating $500 to the Maroondah Reservoir Friends Group, set up by former Green Army members, to assist with their works in beautifying and maintaining the areas around the reservoir park.
The club is also seeking donations from the public to complement their own and Rotarian Dr Ian Tinney said the club’s donation followed a letter in the Mail from Healesville’s Judy Macdonald on 30 August.
The letter outlined the work of the group in clearing paths and drains and maintaining the garden after “so many years of neglect”.
“As there are so many clubs in Healesville, I wonder if they could all make a one-off donation of say $50, around the same time, to enable purchase of large numbers of plants,” the letter read.
“Come on Healesville, let’s get behind them!”
Dr Tinney said the money will go towards buying plants for the group to place around the area and that he hoped residents and other community groups would donate to keep the work going.
“I think it’s excellent … you can see the work that they have put in,” he said.
“It would be brilliant if we could get it (the reservoir park) approaching what it used to be like.”
The Mail reported on the formation of the Maroondah Reservoir Friends Group earlier in the year, with member Stephie Barber saying that volunteers would be working with Parks Victoria on projects in fortnightly working bees.
“We’re really familiarised with the park and continue working on it, so when the Green Armies do eventually run out, we’ll have a solid friends group that can continue working and maintaining the park,” Ms Barber said in March.
Donations to the Friends Group can be made through Rotary, by sending money to the bank details – BSB 633 000, account number 145 771 600, to the name ‘MHG’.
Cheques, also addressed to MHG, can also be sent to the Rotary Club of Healesville, PO Box 72, Healesville, 3777.
