7 May 2014
A group of Alcoa staff members who usually spend their Fridays sitting in an office took up rake hoes and secateurs to realign a short section of the Bibbulmun Track near Dwellingup.
Under the supervision of the Department of Parks and Wildlife, the team created a new alignment to avoid an unsafe river crossing where the timber bridge was deteriorating and a tree was in danger of falling across the Track.
The volunteer project was undertaken as part of Alcoa’s ACTION grant program which supports the efforts of employees who volunteer together on a community service project.
The Bibbulmun Track was nominated by Bibbulmun Track Foundation volunteer Charlie Soord who has walked the entire length of the Track from Kalamunda to Albany. In Charlie's words:
All the volunteers had a great day working together and we learnt a lot about what goes into building and maintaining trails. We all appreciated the opportunity to contribute to the success of a great walking trail.
The group was joined by Linda Daniels, the Foundation’s Executive Director.
With 1000 kilometres of Track and 49 campsites the general maintenance of the Track is an ongoing program involving 250 volunteers. It is fantastic to have the support of Alcoa for special projects such as this realignment and it was a pleasure to work alongside such an enthusiastic group for the day.