THE Augusta-Margaret River Shire Rangers can call themselves the best in the State after winning Team of the Year at the Western Australian Rangers Association annual conference in Perth on Thursday.
The local crew was celebrated for demonstrating outstanding teamwork, which was of benefit to the community.
Shire community development and safety manager Paul Gravett congratulated his team of Gavin Jennion, Alison Scott, Belinda Biddle, Peter Fagan and support officer Tina Berridge on the achievement.
“The ranger team has performed tirelessly and with great integrity over the past 12 months,” Mr Gravett said. “Members worked above and beyond the call of duty during the Margaret River bushfires last November, undertaking shifts of up to 18 hours a day.
“They demonstrated great tact and patience when liaising with fire-affected residents and fauna care organisations about injured pets and wildlife.
“Members have been also actively involved in addressing the issue of illegal camping in the region. The team instigated the camping ‘think tank’ stakeholder meetings, which have been invaluable in identifying the greater complexities of the issue.
“They have been proactive in educating visitors and community members to Margaret River about the implications of illegal camping and redirecting people to appropriate facilities. Efforts of support officer Sadie Breslin should also be acknowledged.”
Mr Gravett said the team has also implemented initiatives that encourage greater compliance with dog laws, including hosting annual Dog Amnesty Days and reviewing and expanding dog exercise areas.
“The rangers are often confronted with many and varying challenges on a daily basis,” he said.
“The team has done exceptionally well to determine competing priorities over the past year and achieve outstanding results across all areas.”
Ranger Alison Scott said the ranger team had been assisted in carrying out their duties by a number of local people and businesses.
“A lot of locals assist and support the rangers with abandoned dogs, desexing dogs, pound donations, dog hydro baths, transporting large animals and we thank them. It’s contributions like this that assist rangers achieve high standards and good results for the whole community,” she said.
