Sofitel on Collins at Albert Park - April 2009

To commence the day, we were very fortunate to receive a brief history of the park, and learn about its role as an important sanctuary for wildlife and vegetation. We further learnt about various kinds of trees and their needs, and discovered first hand the role of a park ranger and what their typical day entails. Sure beats the office!

As a group we mulched garden beds, picked up litter and pruned growing “suckers” from around trees. Black swans watched from the sidelines, grateful for our help in cleaning up and preserving their home. The whole experience was liberating, enabling us to feel great about ourselves, as we were doing something great for the environment. Fabulous weather, coupled with magnificent views of the lake topped off a thoroughly enjoyable day.

This workshop not only greatly assisted with the conservation of Albert Park, but further built on our community awareness and appreciation of the natural environment.

Rachel was exceptionally friendly, helpful and enthusiastic about her role at the People & Parks Foundation. We wouldn’t hesitate to volunteer our time again and hope to make this a regular activity with this wonderful organization. Thank you again to Rachel, Jordan, Jake and the People & Parks Foundation for a wonderful day.”

Article written by Tanya Brockhus of Sofitel

Computershare at Yarra Bend Park - April 2009

On Thursday 23 April 2009, the global web team participated in a team volunteer day at Yarra Bend Park. The volunteer day was hosted by the People & Parks Foundation and Parks Victoria and there were almost 20 of us who participated.

The day was spent outside, in the fresh air and sunlight (which we don’t get much of down here in CTS) engaging in a bit of manual labour. Tasks included spreading mulch in the Willsmere area of the park, clearing the area of foliage and timber and preparing the ground for planting and revegetation. Most of the day was spent undertaking these activities, until we broke for lunch and ended the day with a guided walk with the park ranger where we were introduced to their resident grey headed flying foxes.

Some of the comments from the volunteers on the day were - “It was a good experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it!”, “It was a fun volunteering day. Thanks guys” and “Great fun! It felt good to contribute”.

The most valuable aspect of the day for most of the volunteers was making a difference to the environment and contributing to the community by working as part of a team and enjoying the outdoors and nature

Article written by Christine Garcia of Computershare