St John's Wort out of control in rural Wangaratta

Have you noticed the proliferation of the weed St John's Wort alongside our unmade roads throughout the municipality?

It is worth noting that the weed is primarily located immediately beside the road sheeting. Whilst it has been suggested that it is caused by grazing cattle on the roadside, this can be shown to be false as the adjoining properties are not yet infested.

Because it is so widespread along our roadways - in particular alongside unmade roads bearing the 'Roads to Recovery' signs, I would suggest that the seed is being brought in with road making materials used by the Rural City of Wangaratta to resheet the roadways.

This theory is reinforced by some Greta locals who advise that the gravel from the Banksdale pits was infested with St John's Wort. It seems that many of the locals have worked over a period to eradicate the weed from the roadside outside their properties.

This should be able to be verified by the RCoW who, no doubt, keep records of the sourcing of roadmaking materials. If this proves to be correct, the Rural City of Wangaratta should be held accountable for the eradication of this noxious weed rather than leaving it to the landholders.

St Johns Wort is a perrennial weed that does not usually flower in its first year. That would indicate that the seed has survived the recent roadside weed eradication program carried out by the King Valley/Edi Upper/Greta Landcare groups. Therefore it is time to take this weed a little more seriously before it encroaches upon our farmlands.

We need to contact our elected representatives to do something positive about this problem. Now that there are no wards, you have seven separate representatives on council ... contact them all.

The email addresses of our councillors are as follows.

• Cr. Don Joyce - d.joyce@wangaratta.vic.gov.au
  
• Cr. Roberto Paino - r.paino@wangaratta.vic.gov.au
  
• Cr. Rozi Parisotto - r.parisotto@wangaratta.vic.gov.au
  
• Cr. Justin Sholz - j.sholz@wangaratta.vic.gov.au
  
• Cr. Neville Wright - n.wright@wangaratta.vic.gov.au
  
• Cr. Bernard Young - b.young@wangaratta.vic.gov.au
  
• Cr. Tania Tatulaschwili - t.tatulaschwili@wangaratta.vic.gov.au

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References:
Action vital to control weed Border Mail letter.
North West Weeds Control measures for St John's Wort.
St John's Wort Identification DPI documentation
Effort vital in weed control Border Mail letter

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