Missing plants spark disappointment

The Rokeby Hall Committee spent hours planting native vegetation last month only to have their work ripped from the ground just over a week later.

During a weekend visit to the reserve committee president Jeff Mooney discovered that about half of the planted native trees and shrubs appeared to have been removed purposefully from the site.

Committee member Kate Hill said it was clear the plants had been removed in a way that would have preserved their root systems for re-planting purposes.

She said the removal of the plants by unknown individuals was discouraging for those involved in the works at the reserve. “Its volunteer effort and it discourages community volunteers when their efforts are vandalized,” Ms Hill said.

The planting was the final part of an overall upgrade to the visitor area of the reserve.

Ms Hill explained that as part of the Baw Baw Shires Community Development Grants program the Rokeby Public Hall and Recreation Reserve received $10,000 for day visitor facility landscaping, and the committee itself contributed $12,000.

The group spent $1200 on native plants for the area, with hopes of attracting native birds and improving the overall appearance of the area.

Committee president Jeff Mooney took to social media to express his “disappointment” regarding the vandalism. “This project involved a lot of voluntary time and effort,” he said.

Mr Mooney’s post was met with many comments from members of the community who echoed his sentiments. Some people said the act of removing plants from a public space is “disgusting” and “selfish”, while others suggested the missing plants might have been caused by animals.

Ms Hill said that the comments on the Facebook post showed support for the project and the work by the committee on the sight.

“The community is overall really appreciative of what we’ve done,” she said.