By Deanne Jeffers
FOR around 20 years local Shepparton man Jason Maher has single-handedly scoured the Goulburn River removing rubbish from the waterway.
Mostly, he sadly comes across and removes a large volume of fishing line, syringes, shopping trolleys, chemical drums, tarps, tents and nets, as well as injured wildlife caught in the debris.
Recently, however, Jason found a heartwarming message in a bottle. Inside was a note and a polaroid photo of three young girls – Erroll, Mabel and Milo – which was released at Murchison in 2022 and found at the Boulevard, Shepparton, in 2026.
“It was really nice to find something positive, something good, in the rivers,” Jason said. “It was the old bottle that caught my eye at first, and I was surprised that the message had been sent only a few years ago not too far from where it was released.”
For Jason, removing rubbish from the river was a way to give back after an injury stopped him from being able to continue in his job as a boiler maker. An avid fisherman and lover of the outdoors, it felt like a natural move to stay busy.
“I want to help preserve the bush for the future, so it can be enjoyed now and into the future,” he said.
“I took my kids fishing at the river when they were young, and they saw all the rubbish and asked me why there was so much, and I didn’t have a good answer for them.
“It’s sad but people use our rivers like a tip. Whether that’s getting rid of unwanted items, stolen items or just leaving rubbish behind.”
Jason, who operates under the volunteer non-profit GV Shrimp (Goulburn Valley Small Hand Recognising Improving Mess Pollution) estimates that he has spent around $160,000 of his own money cleaning the rivers.
He receives no funding or support, and cost of living increases, particularly fuel costs and ongoing health concerns, have made doing so more difficult.
Despite these challenges, Jason remains steadfast in his mission, travelling the Goulburn from Seymour to Echuca in sections, documenting and cleaning the river.
Jason highlighted that there are dangers that come with removing rubbish from waterways and handling wildlife that are often distressed from being caught in illegal nets or stray fishing lines.
On one day he found and removed 380 syringes at Jordan’s Bend, Shepparton, and he has removed thousands of nets, hundreds of shopping trolleys and recovered stolen items, lost wallets, and emptied safes from the river, as well as coming across illegal activity in isolated areas such as firewood theft, which he reports to the authorities.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t other people or groups doing this kind of work, and it is difficult to do because there are dangers involved, so you need proper training and skills to do so safely,” he said.
What Jason really wants is to raise awareness of how we treat the river and what happens to our rubbish when we’re done with it, the impact it has on wildlife and the waterways.
If you’d like to learn more or can assist Jason and GV Shrimp, phone 0439 958 940.
