For National Volunteer Week (16-22 May), we celebrated our Centennial Parklands volunteers who have kindly dedicated their time and support to protect our beautiful green spaces.
Volunteering is one of the life bloods of Centennial Parklands, with our volunteers contributing over 8,000 hours of work across 15 different programs.
From bush regeneration to cleaning up the Parklands, we wouldn't be able to achieve all the remarkable environmental and heritage successes in our green spaces without the passion and dedication of our volunteers.
Keeping our Park Clean
Our Clean Up Australia Day volunteers
Every March, thousands of Australians come together to 'Clean Up' our local environment by picking up rubbish in their local areas.
With this year’s Centennial Parklands event postponed due to the severe rain and weather, we were thrilled to host our Clean Up Australia Day event during National Volunteer Week instead.
On 19 May 2022, 12 of our regular volunteers joined us for two hours at Centennial Park to pick up rubbish from the grass, ponds, and streets. Our volunteers collected all types of litter, from cigarette butts to face masks, pieces of plastic and tiny particles that are dangerous to our natural wildlife.
Different pieces of litter found at Centennial Parklands
A delicious lunch was organised afterwards to thank our volunteers for their efforts, with Joshua French, Director of Strategy, Design and Delivery at Greater Sydney Parklands, joining the celebrations.
"It was really special to have so many of our volunteers participate in Clean Up Australia Day today. There were lovely people having good conversations in the sunshine, with a yummy lunch and lots of litter collected."
- Dindy Boutagy, Centennial Parklands Volunteer Coordinator
Ongoing volunteer programs
The Parklands has dedicated community and corporate volunteers with over 15 programs, assisting with a range of services from visitor experience, Parklands beautification and important conservation and environmental projects.
"Centennial Park is just beautiful and I love walking in it weekly. It's a special place that I love and whether it’s cleaning up or weeding, I enjoy giving back to it."
- Ruth, Centennial Parklands volunteer
"I've been volunteering for at least five years at Centennial Parklands, usually at the Guriwal Trail," says Ruth. "The bush regeneration programs are also great because it gets you grounded and it’s lovely to feel connected to nature. There are so many great people who weed every week at the Guriwal trail. Sometimes it changes and people leave and come back, but we always have a good chat with nice people when we volunteer."
Learn about our volunteer programs and how to get involved here.
Report waste issues
If you are visiting Centennial Parklands and are concerned about a waste issue, please contact the Parklands Office at (02) 9339 6699 or out of office hours: 0412 718 611.
Please enjoy the Parklands and help keep them beautiful all year round.