LOCAL residents are enjoying a neater looking Stratford, as lawns managed by the Department of Transport (DoT) near the town’s railway station have been cut after 12 months.
Photos taken on December 6 show land close to Stratford Station on the corner of McFarlane and Hobson Street with very high grass, with more further down McFarlane Street. Stratford resident Harry Nowak, who has lived in the area for over 70 years, said he had never seen it this long. Read the original story here.
That same day, local resident Thelma Keeley showed up to the Wellington Shire Council meeting to express her concern about letters that council sent to residents regarding unkempt grass in the town.
She informed council of her and her husband’s prolonged efforts in keeping Stratford tidy, cutting grass in several areas.
“We bought a ride-on (mower) ourselves, and we (cut the grass) with our own money,” Mrs Keeley said.
The next day, Mrs Keeley cut the grass on the McFarlane and Hobson Street corner.
Photo: Tom Parry
There was confusion among the residents over who was responsible for the greenery around the railway station, and it turned out to be the DoT, not VicTrack or Council.
On December 18, Mr Nowak emailed the Gippsland Times to say the grass had been cut, just days after the original story on the Stratford vegetation was published (13/12/2022). Council confirmed on December 22 that the DoT had completed works, as seen in photos taken the same day.
Mr Nowak welcomed the development.
“The grass is not necessarily nice to look at, but it’s been cut so there’s no longer a (fire) danger for the houses that are there,” he said.
Before the grass had been dealt with, Mr Nowak told the Gippsland Times on December 6 he didn’t care who was responsible, he just wanted something done.
“You don’t want grass like this in front of your house. People through their own good will, their pride in their community and their own homes (cut it), because it needs to be done”.
In response, Council told the Gippsland Times on December 22 that they advocate to state agencies and local members on behalf of residents regularly, and the DoT had recently completed work in the area.
“Wellington Shire Council regularly advocates to state government agencies regarding various matters on behalf of the community,” a Council Spokesperson said.
“The Department of Transport has previously indicated that slashing works were programmed in Stratford, subject to conditions on the ground improving as a result of the prolonged wet weather. Council can confirm that this work has recently been completed by the Department of Transport.
“Council will continue to advocate to state agencies and local members for improvements in their service levels across Wellington Shire. We also encourage residents who have concerns to contact the Department of Transport customer service team on 1800 800 007.”
A DoT spokesperson said the first round of slashing in the area around the station was usually carried out from October to December, with populated areas prioritised, but the high rainfalls throughout spring caused a slight delay in the 2022 program. A second round of slashing will take place at the end of summer.
According to the DoT, slashing is only effective in areas where the ground underneath the vegetation is dry, meaning crews needed to wait until certain areas dried out before they could proceed.
With the grass now cut, the residents will now wait and see if the DoT will slash the grass at the end of summer, or if it will become dangerously high again.
