Following a year of covid-related delays, Ocean Grove Coastcare was finally able to celebrate its 10th anniversary (due in late 2020) on November 17, with 40 friends old and new.
Founding member Jackie Scally spoke warmly about how creating the group with a small posse of young women helped connect her as a new resident of Ocean Grove to both the community and the coastal environment.
“Bolstered by a healthy dose of naivety and enthusiasm we hosted a movie night at the Piping Hot Chicken Shop in September 2010 to generate community interest in our little idea,” Jackie said.
“Eighty people turned up and Ocean Grove Coastcare was born that evening.”
In the 10 years since, the group has seen hundreds of volunteers contribute a collective 2700 hours in weeding among the dunes (typically plants that have escaped from local gardens), planting more than 3000 indigenous plants, giving away two thousand plants for local gardens, clearing up hundreds of large bags of rubbish, and creating awareness of ocean plastics and other environmental issues.
“I’ve taken more of a back seat the past few years, but from here I look on with a smile knowing that Ocean Grove Coastcare will continue to evolve in new ways, shaped by the energy of the people at the time,” Jackie said.
“And as it does, I hope that it will keep providing a way for the community of Ocean Grove to connect with people and place and give back to the environment we call home”
