Terrey Hills snake catcher and landscape gardener Kobie Joyce tells Peninsula Living Pittwater why he loves being part of the Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew.
Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew combs our beaches, bush and lagoon on the last Sunday of every month.
When Kobie Joyce responded to Malin Frick’s Facebook call-out for volunteers seven years ago, he had no idea how it would change his life – and the area.
The 47-year-old landscape gardener, who is also a snake and reptile catcher for Sydney Wildlife, has been at each one ever since, making friends and a huge difference.
“We were a group of friends who got together one weekend to pick up rubbish, and it’s grown from there,” laughs the father-of-two.
“I’ve always surfed on the Northern Beaches, and do a lot of bushwalking. There’s rubbish everywhere you go. So when I saw the original post, I thought, ‘an hour or so just one Sunday a month isn’t much of your time to give,’ so I joined.”
The group now regularly boasts more than 100 volunteers of all ages. Each month they cover areas from Avalon to Palm Beach, picking up sometimes as much as 20,000 pieces of rubbish in an hour.
The group has done some ‘huge’ collections at Narrabeen, Curl Curl and Dee Why, with apartment blocks and playing fields key rubbish hotspots. Be it dog balls, dog poo or alcohol bottles -it’s all in a day’s work.
Lagoon clean-ups are challenging and can get muddy and boggy: ‘but I don’t mind it as I like to get down and dirty’.
Despite the physical challenges, Kobie describes the work as ‘relaxed’ and very social.
“We move around the peninsula, so you’re always connecting with people in that area.”
Gone are the days of diving in with no protection or equipment. “We’re pretty much kitted out these days and have trailers, gloves and ‘grabbers’”.
Details of all the rubbish is logged in the marine database, which helps keep track of the impact of the group’s work.
“People might think you’re not having any effect, but when there’s 100 people pulling out 20,000 pieces of rubbish in one hour, you’re making a big impact on our waterways and lagoons.”
At the end of each clean-up, the group posts a photo of everyone taking part on the Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew Facebook page.
For more details or to join, visit facebook.com/NorthernBeachesCleanUpCrew.
By Niki Waldegrave