Member Groups

Group History:

SWWAT started up in April 2019 with the intention of raising awareness of Sweet Pittosporum and other woody weeds and implementing an on-ground works programs.

The group is headed up by local Fisherman Garry Kerr. Garry is the founder of the organisation and is supported by a great team. The group has a strong work ethic and has delivered over 3,000 hours of volunteer weed work to the Portland district since its inception.

Vision statement

We believe our native forests, public and private lands should be free of woody weeds, especially sweet pittosporum, Italian buckthorn and polygala.

Mission

Our mission is to motivate, inspire and support community learning by promoting, and sharing information about how to control woody weeds.

Values

We believe that:

• We will foster and nurture the groups’ identity to ensure that a progressive committee remains committed to advocacy and partnerships that are mutually beneficial
• That knowledge is power; an informed community will be more proactive and maintain their patch once support and extension work has been provided
• All projects planned and supported by our group will either inform, educate, protect, enhance, and/or restore roadside character through on ground weed control activities
• We will provide a conduit for government agencies and not for profits to access members of our community who are troubled by the state of our national parks and forests decline due to weed infestations
• We will actively lobby the state government, local council and if deemed necessary the Minister for Environment about the loss of biodiversity that is occurring due to the infestations of weeds

Key Achievements

Since incorporation we have rid virtually all of the Forest Park section of the Cobboboonee Forest of sweet pittosporum, and to some extent boneseed. The only exception being small sections of roadside adjacent to farms at central Gorae, the owners wishing to maintain privacy. We have now begun work at the Mount Clay forest.

 Also our group has succesfully restored roadside character and in tern biuodicresity by removing woody weeds from the following roads:

• Wilsons Road
• Blacks road
• Murphys Road
• Spinks Road (west of the creek)
• Tonkins Road
• Levetts Road
• Pennys Road
• Evans Road
• Hodgetts Road
• Berrys Road
• Gorae Road (west of Berrys Road)
• The Eight Mile Waterhole

Activities

• Two-hour weekly working bees followed by morning smoko

• Meetings are held at the Portland Yatch Club  quarterly

• Visitors welcome; contact Garry at Garry Kerr (see email below) or phone on 0427829748 if you would like to join the group or attend any activities

How to Join

• Membership fees are set at $10.00 (this includes insurance and covers you personally at all our working bees and meetings)

• To join up contact  swatthatweed@gmail.com or garry.k@westvic.com.au