The late, great Ian Kiernan was a champion yachtsman and passionate advocate for the environment.
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His legacy is celebrated every year on Clean Up Australia Day when tens of thousands of Australians get out and about, in the places they love, to pick up tonnes of rubbish.
This Sunday, March 6, there are plenty of groups doing their bit in the Bega Valley. Go to the Clean Up Australia Day website to find out where you can join in.
However, Bega Tathra Safe Ride said cleaning up rubbish can't be limited to one day a year.
"It's a daily problem that requires frequent attention and that's what Bega Tathra Safe Ride has been doing on Bega-Tathra Road and Sapphire Coast Drive," Bega Tathra Safe secretary Doug Reckord said.
"Our goal is to make clean roadsides normal with regular cleanups throughout the year on over 30km of roadway."
Doug and his "Trash Trike" have been a frequent sight since June 2020 and he said he gets "toots" of approval from passing motorists - one of them even stopped and donated $100 to the cause.
"We are hoping that becomes a trend!"
Clean Up Australia Day 2022 may feature a celebration as the community bike group will be in Albury the day before for the Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Towns Awards, in which the "Give Dane a Clean Run" campaign is in contention for the Education and Community Awareness award.
Doug said the nomination recognised work to keep Bega-Tathra Road and Sapphire Coast Drive clean and was built on the efforts of Dane Waites (Perth2Pambula), Bega Tathra Safe Ride, Bournda Environmental Education Centre, Bega Valley Shire Council, Woolworths (Tura Beach, Merimbula and Bega), NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (Merimbula) and many others.
"Dane has a fantastic ability to engage community support and his determination to help look after the environment is so inspiring. Even if we don't come away with the award, he deserves a big thank you," Doug said.
This weekend, Bega Tathra Safe Ride will be celebrating already "cleaning up (a little bit of) Australia" and encouraged everyone to get out there to pick up rubbish and show you care for the beautiful place in which we live all year round.
A bit of TLC
Meanwhile, Tathra Land Care (TLC) will also be holding a Clean Up Australia Day event in Tathra, on Saturday, March 5.
Meet at 9am in the car park at Tathra Beach Surf Club.
Wear long pants, long sleeves and good shoes. TLC will provide bags and gloves.
Volunteers will start around the southern end of the beach, the creek and car park and then work their way north along the sand dunes to the northern end of the caravan park.
The team will regroup there and work back south along the road as well as the dunes in two groups.
Everyone is welcome including children. It will take about two hours unless it is raining heavily in which case the event will be rescheduled to the following Saturday.
