VOLUNTEERS who created a new native garden for the community in Mornington are distraught over the callous destruction of the garden and theft of most of the plants.
The Pine Avenue Reserve restoration project was only completed last month, with volunteers from Friends of Pine Avenue Reserve joining children from the nearby South Mornington Preschool to create a green space and a native habitat for birds and frogs.
But some time over the past two weeks, someone has ripped out and removed many of the plants and left others uprooted and dying on the ground.
Friends of Pine Avenue Reserve spokesperson Catherine Warters said she was disappointed and disgusted that anybody could destroy something so precious to the community.
“We think that around August 27-30 Indigenous the plants were removed at the Downward Street end of the park, as well as some garden logs that had been placed for protection of plants, and bird and insect habitat.
Warters said the group had worked with the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to have a fence installed around a pond in the park to protect the small waterway and ensure the frogs could thrive.
“The native plants and trees we planted had created such a lovely environment, but unfortunately someone decided they needed the plants more,” she said.
The plants included several river red gums, native kangaroo grasses, banksias, she-oaks, and coreas.
Warters said the volunteers were disheartened but would replant at some point in the future.
First published in the Mornington News – 19 September 2023
