His excellency Alex Chernov, the Governor of Victoria, must remain non-partisan from a party political point of view, as part of his vice-regal duties.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
However, that does not prevent the governor from being an advocate for the environment.
Yesterday, Mr Chernov got his hands dirty shovelling soil at Cornish Hill as part of the ongoing process of restoring native flora to the 38 hectares of Crown land near Daylesford.
Formerly a gold mining area, Cornish Hill had faced the prospect of being sold off and developed for housing.
A group of Daylesford residents felt strongly that the area should remain open for public use and fought the development.
Ultimately, the “Friends of Cornish Hill” prevailed and the area was saved.
The group has been managing the area ever since, removing weeds and restoring Cornish Hill to its former native beauty.
“The thought of houses here is mind boggling,” Mr Chernov said. “So the people who helped prevent that should be congratulated.
“I can’t be partisan politically but (the role) gives me a bit of an opportunity to promote environmental issues.
“I can’t say I have a huge impact but I can contribute in my own way.”
The Friends of Cornish Hill have busied themselves removing the worst of the weeds, including gorse and blackberry, which took root after the ground was churned up for mining.
More recently, they’ve had help from students of Daylesford Secondary College, and the “Gettin’ Dirty” program, an initiative of the Moorabool police that has seen year seven and eight boys (mainly) from the school pitch in with replanting and weeding.
The school has also had a science project for year nine, where students have tested the water and monitored the improvement.
Friends of Cornish Hill president Margie Thomas says she has been encouraged by the involvement of secondary and primary school students from the area.
“We see this as being like a succession plan with the school kids and Friends of Cornish Hill,” she says.