ASR gets a new jetty, thanks to EnviTE tem
Thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of an EnviTE Work for the Dole team, Australian Seabird Rescue (ASR) workers can safely reach dry land via a newly reconstructed jetty at North Creek, Ballina.
The existing jetty had become so dilapidated that it presented a real risk to users, and in fact, the extreme damage caused the piers to give way during reconstruction work, causing the jetty itself to collapse.
EnviTE supervisor, Garth Kindred, said: “This was a great project for the team. The participants enjoy construction work and were motivated by how important the new jetty was to ASR.
“They worked really hard to complete the project in the limited time available.”
“The EnviTE team worked alongside ASR volunteers, including Barry Bryant, who brought his long experience in the construction industry to the project.
“Barry was able to share his knowledge with the Work for the Dole participants who came away with some solid new skills.
“Works in the early stages were tide dependent and new piers were driven deep into the mud at low tide.
“Participants had to utilise the old jetty as best they could in order to construct the new one.
“The timbers were largely recycled, with the addition of some new posts and some second-hand planks.
“Thanks to Bob from B&B Timbers in Ballina, Mark from Nashua Timbers and local farmer, Mike, for the donation of timber for the rebuild.”
The jetty is ASR’s only access to North Creek from the Ballina WildlifeLink Sanctuary.
Australian Seabird Rescue was established in Ballina by the late Lance Ferris following the rescue of a pelican hooked in fishing tackle.
Since that time, ASR volunteers have been involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of seabirds and shorebirds, marine turtles, and to date, have rescued over 1000 Australian Pelicans.
“The jetty enables us to respond quickly by boat to any marine wildlife rescue calls. Just three months ago the jetty was vital as we worked over several days to feed and rescue a trio of dolphins trapped in Prospect Lake at Ballina,” said ASR spokesperson, Keith Williams.
“The contribution of the EnviTE Team was fantastic. Garth and the team worked tirelessly and completed a high-quality job on time and on budget.
“You could not ask for a better team to work with.”
Work for the Dole is an Australian Government initiative aimed at developing skills for people seeking employment.
EnviTE is the only organisation in Australia that has successfully delivered Work for the Dole and GreenCorps continuously since their inception.
