Vix Penko (Melbourne Water) and Shaun Leane MP

After 25 years living in Melbourne, Victoria Penko couldn’t imagine the city without the Merri Creek.

“Well, there’s no Melbourne without the Merri Creek, is there?” she laughs. As Head of Waterway and Catchment Services North West for Melbourne Water, Victoria describes Merri Creek Management Committee as “a pioneering trail-blazer in collaborative waterway management”. With these sentiments in mind, it was a “no-brainer” to rejoin as an MCMC member organisation last month, an announcement which MCMC President Ann McGregor describes as “a very welcome move.”

“Melbourne Water is the primary waterway management authority for Melbourne and the Merri Creek, so a closer relationship will benefit both organisations,” says Ann. “We already enjoy a good relationship at the operational level, but having Melbourne Water on our Committee of Management will open up many other opportunities for collaboration and mutual support.”

Ann and Victoria share a love of the Merri Creek, having lived in its reaches for much or all of their lives. Victoria described the Merri as “a life saver when I was navigating the challenges of becoming a new parent, when I could push the double pram along the creek to CERES and feel less isolated and more connected to my community.” Victoria considers the communities that work together to care for Melbourne’s waterways as critical in their management.

“Ultimately, our creeks and rivers are the lifeblood of our region. They flow from catchment to bay – they don’t have borders. Every action in every part has a downstream impact so working together is – and will always be – the key.  MCMC is a trusted entity with a respected, rich history and its members obviously have a strong, passionate vision for the creek and its catchment.”

MCMC Executive Officer Bernadette Thomas is excited about the opportunities that the collaboration will bring. “This collaboration with Melbourne Water is vital if we are to achieve our goals of protecting Melbourne’s best-loved waterway,” she says. “We know that urban waterway restoration is only possible if we share knowledge and build connections together. Melbourne Water has vast knowledge and experience, so we’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together through our renewed collaboration.”

Penko and her team see the next decade as a critical opportunity to ensure the gains made in recent years are not lost.

“What has got us to this point will not necessarily get us through the challenges of the next decade,” she says. “We know this collaboration is vital if we are to address the challenges of climate change, increasing urbanisation and pollution for our waterways. No one group can do this on its own.”

Photograph courtesy of Melbourne Water.