John Elcoate and Bill Dennis discovered the dam in Whitbread Street during their work to regenerate Browns Creek and this Sunday, on Clean Up Australia Day they will work with Friends of Browns Creek (FoBC) volunteers to remove rubbish in and around the dam. Their numbers are few and today, John and Bill are sounding a rallying call for more volunteers.

Recent heavy rains in Taree will have flushed rubbish from the streets and Bill says “after big rain events sometimes a third of it can be covered in bottles and rubbish. It drains from Spence Street, Wrigley Park and all the area up to Old Wingham Road – all the rubbish comes from there.”

FoBC volunteers discovered the secluded dam and the “filth and rubbish that’s in there” because it connects to the creek that has been the focus of an intensive regeneration program over more than five years.

The dam is known as the Railway Dam, says Bill, and was created as a water source for steam trains in the early 1900s because there was no town water supply.

On Sunday a boat will be put on the dam and volunteers will work to clear the surface of rubbish and also try to identify a large animal spotted in the dam.

“You’ll see movement in the water and it looks like something huge. We saw it the other day, the fish were frightened by something that was bigger than an eel. A croc? Nahhh,” Bill said.

“Is that a personal guarantee for Sunday’s clean-up Bill?” asked John.

On Sunday at 9.30am John and Bill will be at the gate entrance to the Whitbread Street property that is opposite Logan Leigh Benchtops. They hope to see a crowd of volunteers and at day’s end have the Railway Dam and its entrance to Browns Creek clear of rubbish. The Railway Dam event is one of seven registered events in the Manning Valley. In Taree both McDonalds stores will host an event, in Old Bar visit the Beach Side Church, Mondrook Hall is listed, and two sites in Cundletown will also need volunteers. Visit the Clean Up Australia Day website for starting times.