Program a labour of love for Betty

The Dianella resident is a member of the City of Stirling’s Adopt-A-Park program, signing on to help keep the park in pristine condition.

‘I have always cared for the park and would often see things lying around that I wouldn’t pick up because I didn’t have the right implements,’ she said.

‘I saw an ad in the local paper asking for Adopt-A-Park members and thought I would join up. Now that I know what to do, who to call and have the equipment to pick up any rubbish, I can’t stop.’

She said she chose to live in her current house because it backed onto the park.

‘We have lived in the area since the 1970s when Breckler Park was just bushland,’ Ms Dagnia said.

‘We used to go bush walking through the park, usually with a dog and appreciate all the wildflowers. ‘Then we saw the oval, used for cricket and hockey, go in.

‘Since we first moved in we have seen Dianella develop quite a lot, with some of the original houses demolished to make way for mansions.’

Ms Dagnia said she had encouraged her grandchildren to take an interest in bushland, with her five-year-old granddaughter already a member of the park program. ‘I don’t know anyone else who is part of the program, but I think I would get quite jealous of other people taking my park,’ she said.

For more on the program, call 9205 8555 or email stirling@stirling.wa.gov.au.