AT the break of dawn on Saturday, a group of Tidy Up Taree volunteers put the finishing touches to Victoria Street.
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Because of rain, the job started on November 30 couldn't be finished so at 5.30am on Saturday, ensuring there was no traffic to disrupt, eight volunteers painted the garden borders and median strip.
"What we did two weeks ago was like putting on a tuxedo without the bow tie," Tidy Up Taree organiser, Graham Brown said. "Last Saturday we added the bow tie. When you come to Victoria Street, between Pulteney Street and Manning Streets, you can really see the difference now."
The Tidy Up Taree day proved that Taree's community spirit is alive and well and this was further evidenced last Saturday.
While waiting on Greater Taree City Council staff to swap the road closure from one side to the other the volunteers were greeted by Christina, the manager of Ritchie's IGA, pushing a grocery trolley down the street providing the volunteers with water bottles and fresh fruit on ice so it was refreshingly cold. "And we weren't even in her part of the CBD - she just saw us on her way to work," Graham said.
At the end of the painting job Raw Sugar Caf then provided all the volunteers with coffee and beverages so they could sit and admire their work and discuss the finish of the activity.
The Tidy Up Taree team has decided to try and do another TUT day in March to coincide with Clean Up Australia Day.
"We have just done the Summer Spruce Up so the next one will be "Autumn Fresh"."
The TUT website will be revamped in the early New Year to again include the community in deciding what needs to be done, except this time they will be asking the public to suggest or upload photos of whole blocks in streets that they can work on rather than just individual buildings as has just happened.
"We hope that this will gather lots of people to do things in their own streets on that day as well," Graham said.