Offenders have helped to make dense native bush accessible to inhabitants of a busy commercial and residential area of central Albany.
The community work project involved the laying of a series of bush walks and extended over a seven-day period in February, the hottest month of the year. As well as being physically taxing, it also involved navigating difficult terrain.
Teams of supervised offenders hauled more than 11 cubic metres of slip-resistant gravel into the bush and widened the walking tracks, which are extremely steep in some areas.
Sponsor Hugh Willis whose connection with the Community Probation Service spans 30 years, was thrilled with the result and had special accolades for two of the offenders in the team. "They all worked hard and stuck to it. We couldn’t have done it without their help." Probation Officer Norrie Keenan attributes much of the success of the project to Community Work Supervisor Dmitri Kateav. By keeping them motivated, he helped offenders gain an appreciation of the local environment, and an understanding that serving their sentence well can really benefit the community.
The track is expected to be well used by locals and tramping clubs from all over the area, given Albany’s rapid rate of domestic growth.
Photo: Probation Officer Norrie Keenan points offenders in the right direction.
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ISSN 1178-1327