One of those small volunteer groups which many in the community may not be aware of is the hard working Port Stephens Graffiti Action Team (PSGAT).

The dedicated members of PSGAT beaver away across Port Stephens, often early in the hours of the morning before most people are up and about, working to ensuring the cleanliness of the town which relies heavily on its tourists and holidaymakers who traditionally come from all over the country - until the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PSGAT patch stretches across the entire Tomaree peninsula and president John Bell said that members work in close cooperation with Port Stephens Council and the local police to keep the area completely free of graffiti.

"The team was formed in 2009 by the late Keith Brabham, of Nelson Bay, a highly motivated leader who was already in his mid-80s and who had been inspired by a similarly resilient figure from Forster, Ted Bickford, who was also known as 'The Graffiti Buster'," said Mr Bell.

"At the time there was a scourge of graffiti on shops, buildings and many other facilities throughout the area, which was accompanied by considerable other vandalism.

"The graffiti was disfiguring the landscape and greatly reducing the ambiance of the peninsula for both residents and visitors alike."

Initially the graffiti team worked as a large group to tackle the considerable outbreaks, while promoting educational initiatives to discourage the application.

However, with time the graffiti has considerably lessened and visitors often remark how clean the Bay now is. A single incidence now results in a flurry of calls to have it removed.

"With the reduction in graffiti the police have also noted a substantial lessening in vandalism, anti-social behaviour and petty crime. Members now tend to work in twos or threes in their own area to manage small outbreaks."

Business Port Stephens president Leah Anderson was full of admiration for the work of the graffiti team, which had often gone unnoticed.

"The graffiti action members are a wonderful community group who volunteer their time to remove graffiti from our public spaces and town centres," Ms Anderson said.

"It is a shame when we see unwanted graffiti throughout the business centre, or anywhere for that matter. And without the wonderful work of the graffiti action team, we would certainly have some undesirable looking areas. My thanks go out to the volunteers for keeping our town and spaces looking beautiful and graffiti free."

The Port's tourism sector has also expressed its gratitude to the 'graffiti-busters' for keeping the area clean 12 months of the year.

"Having a graffiti-free town aligns with our 'Incredible by Nature' campaign," said Destination Port Stephens CEO Eileen Gilliland.

With the passing of time since the team was formed, years have also crept up unexpectedly on some of its original members who, though not admitting their age, are starting to experience health problems.

"Everyone is keen that the valuable work and much enjoyed camaraderie of the group is continued, so that our area remains 'incredible by nature'," Mr Bell said.

"We are appealing to any like-minded residents with a small amount of free time to join the team and contribute to and reap the reward of maintaining our iconic area. Because of the legacy of past work the task is not very demanding, mainly managing small outbreaks. Meetings are kept to a minimum - two or three a year at the most."

Anyone who would like to help this very motivated team, phone the Graffiti Hotline on 0412 578 570.

All equipment and training is provided.

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