As the rains began to ease, Clean4Shore volunteers, residents and various community groups were out and about on the region’s waterways, cleaning up debris including sea wrack, assorted pieces of furniture, a large mattress, building materials and polystyrene.
Clean4Shore worked for days at Patonga Beach, aided by residents collecting smaller items in plastic bags.
Several large sheets of aluminium cladding consistent with the March Floods were washed up on the previously cleaned sections of the beach.
With surges from the ocean swell making access to beaches difficult, volunteers worked hard to stack piles of debris along the beach including lounges, fridges, plastic drums and car tyres and bags and bags of smaller litter.
At Macmasters Beach, the team cleared an assortment of rubbish including two plastic rainwater tanks, car tyres, treated pine, metal and plastic drums, smaller plastic and hard plastics.
All debris was loaded and delivered to Woy Woy tip.
At Umina Beach on July 9, residents and members of various community groups worked alongside Central Coast Council workers to clear the beach of multiple items of debris.
Peninsula Ocean Swimmers volunteers joined the clean-up effort and member Tony Trichter, said some unusual items, including a drum of pesticide and an iphone in divers’ housing, were found.
Trichter said it was a true community effort to clean up the beach.
“This is by no means the first time our community has rallied together to clean up our beautiful beach,” he said.
“It was all-hands on deck for the last two major flooding events earlier this year and last and was the same this time around.
“The Peninsula Ocean Swimmers and the other users of the beach always feel very privileged to have such a beautiful place to do the activities that we love, be it swimming, or surfing, or simply enjoying the beach.
“We feel it is the least we can do to give something back to what nature has provided us.”
Trichter said some very large objects left on the beach had to be removed.
“Council got into it quickly, as did the community, and the beach looks a lot better,” he said.
“It is remarkable considering we had to remove some very large items, including a spa, a shed, a box trailer, and a lot of trees and sticks.”
Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, thanked the Peninsula Ocean Swimmers, the community, and Council, after efforts were made to ensure that the beaches on the Peninsula were restored as soon as possible.
“Community spirit has come through again,” she said.
“Council was fantastic with the beach clean-up after the February floods, and it is great to see them working with the community to coordinate the clean-up this time around.”
Terry Collins
