The yellow flags were out all round the inlet on Sunday 27 November. They marked the collecting spots for the bags of rubbish 56 keen volunteers were filling as the 2005 spring clean of the inlet got under way.
No one was daunted by the wind, and during the morning dozens of black rubbish bags, sheets of iron, old timber, real estate signs and assorted junk could be seen piling up by the flags. When it was all over, the council rubbish truck was filled one and a half times.
A driver from Upper Hutt was so impressed by all the activity that he stopped to congratulate one group of bagfillers on their community spirit.
The morning's work was rewarded with a barbecue lunch cooked and served by the team from Plimmerton Rotary. Mana New World provided the food, along with the $50 Lucky Prize voucher, thanks to the generosity of manager Alan Stroud. Mayor Jenny Brash was on hand to cheer the crew and thank the workers. This is a great community activity, supported and appreciated by the Council.
Without this clean-up day, the inlet would look a lot tattier for the summer. Our thanks go to the volunteers, and also to John Poppleton and Denis Ormsby from Keep Porirua Beautiful, who organised the resources to ensure a successful day..
As the photos show, although the day started off grey and cool, by the time the sausages were being cooked, it was picnic weather:
