We thought we’d share a poem by Cr Fern Summer, written back in 2013 while passionately advocating for this very service.
At the time, she was in a spirited debate with the late Cr John Gray, and penned the piece to highlight the need for a hard rubbish collection, something she said the community had “desperately wanted” since she first ran for Council 14 years ago.
Cr Summer recently recited the piece at the June 23 council meeting, sharing her excitement for the proposed service.
As of June 2025, Greater Shepparton City Council has officially approved the introduction of a hard rubbish collection service, starting from July 1, 2026.
Spring cleaning an analogy
When you tackle Spring cleaning, what do you do?
Tuck it under the carpet, or into your shoe?
Only so many years, will this method maintain
A house nice and neat, without any disdain.
The crevices full, no room there at all,
It starts to flood out, all over your floor.
What happened? Oh no ...what can we do?
The job is too big now, for me or for you.
In order to clean, we must first make a mess,
Ne'er was a house in such distress
Houses free from all problems, all problems save one,
That annual Spring day, for work to be done.
Fly dirty laundry, for neighbours to see,
Do it for liberty, fly them out free,
Remove all those shackles, like that sticky floor
And throw all that garbage right out your door
Don't waggle your finger, or poke out your tongue,
When I say there's more work,
Much more work to be done
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