East Tamar Landcare and Rio Tinto Bell Bay Aluminium
– 30 volunteer hours
– $1,426 value to the community
Over three weeks, a total of 22 Rio Tinto Bell Bay Aluminium employees volunteered with East Tamar Landcare to support a series of hands‑on building and environmental restoration days along the Pipers River Boardwalk and Viewing Platform. Each week brought together a new team of Rio volunteers working alongside experienced Landcare members, who shared their deep knowledge of the river system and the group’s long‑term restoration efforts, including the significant removal of 15 kilometres of invasive willows.
“Having this level of support makes a huge difference to what we can achieve.” (East Tamar Landcare)
Across the three days, volunteers worked in small groups to complete priority tasks such as trimming foliage to improve visibility, constructing handrails for riverfront stairs, brush‑cutting overgrown vegetation, building protective wire cages for young native trees, and constructing the new viewing platform deck to enhance public access and safety. Throughout the activity, Rio volunteers regularly consulted Landcare experts to correctly identify native species, remove invasive weeds, and better understand the ecological importance of their work.
“We would have taken another month to get this done” (East Tamar Landcare)
The combined efforts across the three days delivered meaningful benefits for the environment, the community, and the volunteers themselves. The work completed, including the construction of the viewing platform deck, will help protect native vegetation, improve visitor safety, and support the long‑term health and accessibility of the river corridor. Landcare volunteers valued the additional support and the enthusiasm each Rio team brought, while Rio volunteers appreciated the opportunity to learn directly from locals whose commitment has shaped the landscape over many years. Shared morning teas from the Pipers River Store helped strengthen relationships and encouraged ongoing collaboration. Together, the partnership demonstrated the positive impact that can be achieved when corporate volunteering is paired with deep local expertise and community stewardship.
“I really enjoyed it. I love hearing people’s stories about WHY they got involved and WHY they do what they do. Sometimes when we get a more personalised story rather than the history of the group, it hits closer to the heart.” (volunteer)
