Over the past year, volunteer Kirsty Richards has spent every Sunday at Victoria Park train station in Abbotsford diligently tending to native plants and wattles in the nearby garden.
Richards is part of the Stationeers, a program supporting volunteers to “beautify their local train station” by gardening and clearing litter.
Stationeer Kirsty Richards is concerned about the future of the volunteer program.Credit: Penny Stephens
Now, a change in how the Stationeers program is overseen has left the volunteer gardeners concerned about the scheme’s future.
Until a few weeks ago, the program was managed by Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria (KABV) and funded by the Department of Transport and Planning, Metro Trains, V/Line and government agency VicTrack.
In March, that relationship changed after the transport partners decided to bring the Stationeers program in the direct control of VicTrack – a shift that surprised Richards and other volunteers.
Established in 1968, KABV is one of the country’s oldest environmental non-profit initiatives, dedicated to “inspiring and empowering community action” to protect and enhance the environment.
Volunteers Kirsty Richards and Cheryl and Michael Lacuone in the garden beside Victoria Park station.Credit: Penny Stephens
KABV chair Marcus Seal said VicTrack’s decision was “incredibly surprising and profoundly disappointing”.
“We’ve been running this program for 30 years and I think we’ve done a great job,” he told The Age. “The news is very surprising given what Keep Australia Beautiful has done for the program over the years.”
Richards, the former secretary of KABV, was also surprised by the news and said she had not heard of any issues within the program.
“We’ve always been aware of what we do … and how to do it ... I’ve never heard of any issues or problems, so VicTrack’s decision is very unusual,” she said.
Victoria Park Station garden in June 2024, before the Stationeers cleaned up the area.Credit: Kirsty Richards
In response to questions from The Age, a VicTrack spokesperson confirmed the program would continue under the direct management of VicTrack.
“Station volunteers do valuable work to beautify their local stations, and we greatly appreciate their commitment and dedication,” they said in a statement.
“Volunteer groups will continue to be supported with their important work in station precincts.”
Richards said Stationeers had received little information from VicTrack following the announcement. However, she hoped VicTrack would continue to empower “the community spirit” behind the program.
Stationeers spend time mulching, planting and weeding around Victoria Park station each week.Credit: Penny Stephens
She and 10 other volunteers devoted time each week to mulching, planting and weeding to make Victoria Park station “look as good as possible”.
“The social connection is amazing,” she said.
“You can walk five kilometres, just from walking backwards and forward, doing the weeding and watering.
“We get people from 10-year-olds through to retirees … we all just turn up to be together and look after things.”
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