A RECENT partnership between the Billabong Garden Complex (Connect GV) and the Goulburn Murray Valley Regional Fruit Fly initiative is helping to create employment opportunities for Connect GV supported employees and has also allowed for the local Billabong nursery to gain training to be the local stop for information on how to correctly manage the Queensland Fruit Fly.
To date, six Connect GV supported employees have been hard at work creating No Flies On Us information packs that will be distributed throughout the region, with the partnership and employment set to continue into the future.
Billabong Garden Complex was recently successful in an application to the ‘Managing Fruit Fly – Regional Community Grants’ and secured funds to support the No Flies on Us campaign to educate the community about the importance of managing fruit fly.
Billabong manager, Tracy Lamont said, “As a seller of fruiting trees, Billabong is committed to ensuring that home gardeners are provided with relevant information to garden responsibly and to do their bit to reduce the risk of a fruit fly outbreak locally.
“To support the fruit fly campaign Billabong staff and some supported employees undertook fruit fly training at Billabong last week. This training will up-skill Billabong staff and equip them with the relevant knowledge and information to assist the community to identify a fruit fly infestation and to assist them to manage it.
“In addition to staff training, the community will be able to obtain more information at the Billabong Garden Expo on October 6 and 7 and information on fruit fly control and products to identify and control fruit fly will be available at Billabong Garden Complex seven days per week.”
Connect GV general manager, Anthony Putt said, “This partnership is beneficial for our pre-employment program.
“We’ve never had anything of a continuous nature before and this is great because it helps our supported employees build a skill base and confidence, which will allow them to move on to bigger, better things.”
Connect GV social enterprise coordinator, Irene Timm said, “This is all about creating opportunities for employment in the community and our supported employees have a range of skills and can undertake a range of tasks from gardening to cleaning and more, so if you need help with something we encourage you to get in touch.”
Goulburn Murray Valley Regional Fruit Fly coordinator, Ross Abberfield said, “We have many partnerships with groups in the community and the relationship with Connect GV is crucial. It will be a long term partnership providing opportunities to engage employment and create resources that we can get out into the community.
“Educating staff and supported employees at Billabong Garden Complex will offer a local nursery where the whole community can go to learn about how they can manage and control the Queensland Fruit Fly.
“If we can achieve that and get everyone on the same page and armed with the correct information and knowhow we can protect our growers, protect our industry and protect our economy.”
