Nineteen people responded to the appeal of Bill Dennis from the Friends of Browns Creek-Crooked Creek to attend the clean-up at the dam site in Whitbead Street, Taree.

Aaron Casey of AJC Projects launched his boat onto the dam to enable its surface to be cleared of floating refuse as other volunteers worked to clear rubbish from around the dam perimeter and along Browns Creek.

“The suggestion that a monster of some description lived in the dam was proven to be false – the movement in the water was determined to be large eels and the hump protruding from the water was a floating truck tyre,” Mr Dennis laughed.

“Two of the more senior volunteers, Glad Fernley and Alice Connell also reminisced about the days they used to swim in the dam because it always had nice clean water and was the place where the boys used to go for a swim.”