Big turn-out for big clean-up

Cleaning up on Great Keppel Island.

ROCKHAMPTON’S Catherine Welburn was one of many people who rolled up to help clean yesterday.

Organisers of the Clean Up Australia Day event at Col Austen Park, North Rockhampton, were delighted by the large turnout, which included Catherine and her mum, Vicki.

This was the pair’s first time in the community event, which was one of several held across the district.

“We both thought it would be a good idea,” Vicki said.

As Catherine wheeled a large discarded top of an outdoor table along Moores Creek Road, the pair said they’d found a lot of cigarette butts, bottles and cans.

Organiser Sussanah Willis, of Stockland Rockhampton, said she couldn’t have been happier with the number of people who showed. “It’s been brilliant,” Sussanah said. “We have many more volunteers than last year.

“We ran out of bags, so we had to use some extra garbage bags we’d bought along.”

She said a load of takeaway wrappers, a suitcase, barbecue, trolley and office chair were among the items of rubbish located.

And she also thanked the large contingent of Rockhampton Girls Grammar School students who helped.

Meanwhile, volunteers from Yeppoon’s Coast Guard and the SES joined staff from Centrelink Yeppoon on Saturday to collect and transfer rubbish from Wreck Beach on Great Keppel Island.

“It is frustrating to be continually collecting empty plastic bait bags,” said Coast Guard spokesman Gordon Fry. These block motor intakes causing considerable damage and are the cause of death to a number of marine animals.”