Over 40 people gathered to celebrate the official opening of the Kiewa floodplain boardwalk on the High Country Rail Trail on Thursday 16th June. The clear, crisp afternoon and beautiful fresh bush set the scene for a ribbon ceremony, speeches and a delicious bush afternoon tea.
Guests included many proud volunteers who were able to tell the stories and point out the work they did on this impressive handmade boardwalk. These included members of the High Country Rail Trail action groups and Parklands volunteer program participants.
Parklands board member Phil Oates thanked contributors and related the development of the boardwalk project, the generosity of the community and the many partnerships that brought it to fruition.
Chief among these partnerships was the Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation / Workways / Wilson Transformers training program which skilled young Aboriginal men Trent Schultz, Andrew Murray and Stephen Murray in metal fabrication. These three were then employed to work with ranger Shane Vanderwerf fabricating and constructing the boardwalk.
Senator Bridget McKenzie, Nationals Senator for Victoria, shared ribbon cutting honors with Trent Schultz, metal fabricator, and Caine Raudino, Acting CEO of Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation.
Once the formalities were done, guests walked first section of the board walk and returned to a delicious afternoon tea on the edge of the floodplain. Many thanks to the excellent bakers and makers of the High Country Rail Trail!
A big thank you to the Commonwealth Government for their financial support of this community infrastructure project through the Deparment of Infrastructure and Regional Development. This significant financial support brought to fruition this top priority rail trail project which had been on the list for the past decade.
Parklands encourages community stewardship of Albury-Wodonga’s unique network of environmental lands. Community groups and residents interested in ‘on ground’ work or enabling recreational activities on Parklands managed lands are welcome to contact us to discuss options. Any works on Parklands-managed lands require written permission. Please contact us at info@parklands-alburywodonga.org.au
