A Werribee resident has called on Wyndham council to clean up Werribee’s Avenue of Honour.
Aaron Bird is frustrated at the state of the Avenue of Honour, which runs off the Princes Highway between Wattle Avenue and Tower Road.
When Star Weekly inspected the site earlier this month, the trees appeared overgrown and in need of maintenance and the area was littered with rubbish, makeshift bongs, syringes and a shopping trolley.
Mr Bird said he had contacted the council several times in the past five years in a bid to get the area cleaned up but had not received a response or seen anything done.
RUBBISH BEHIND THE TREES WHICH IS A ‘HAVEN FOR DRUG USERS’.
“Apart from being disrespectful to those who served, it’s just unsightly,” he said. “It could be a fire hazard. We at least need to bring in an arborist to clean it up. I just don’t think it’s appropriate for an avenue of honour.”
Wyndham council infrastructure director David Suder said the littering could be related to antisocial behaviour occurring behind the trees, and the council was working with Victoria Police on the matter.
“Council’s litter crew is monitoring the site as part of their regular maintenance schedule to minimise the collection of rubbish,” Mr Suder said. “An arborist has also been engaged to look at the condition of the trees.
“The original Avenue of Honour, commemorating the First World War, was planted in 1918. The avenue consisted of sugar gum eucalyptus trees, of which some remnants exist. However, the plantings can no longer be clearly distinguished as an avenue.
“The maintenance issues raised relate to the golden cypress trees, which are not part of the former Avenue of Honour.”
