General News
24 January, 2026
Phill Pitts’ outstanding 20-Year commitment to Stawell
FOR more than two decades, Stawell resident Phill Pitts has quietly gone above and beyond for his community, volunteering his own time and money to keep the grass along Wakeham Street near the Stawell railway station neatly maintained. The strip of land, owned by the railways, is mowed just once a year by a contractor, but for Mr Pitts, that simply isn’t enough. Taking matters into his own hands, he has mowed the area numerous times a year for the past 20 years, driven by pride in his town and concern for public safety.
Mr Pitts said his commitment began after hearing about a frightening incident involving a local elderly resident.
“Many years ago I was talking to one of the neighbours and was told a little old lady was walking along the track towards the railway line. She saw what she thought was a stick on the path, bent over to move it, and it took off. It was a snake.”
“Once I heard that, I started mowing it,” Mr Pitts said.
He said the railways’ once-a-year effort falls well short.
“They just give it a quick brush over and do a poor job,” Mr Pitts said.
“Unless you put in a heap of complaints, that’s all that happens.”
His work goes well beyond mowing. Mr Pitts also spends hours clearing rocks and rubbish left behind after railway maintenance works.
“Whenever the railways do work, they drop rocks everywhere, so I walk the whole area picking them up. It takes hours,” he said.
Despite the significant personal cost, Mr Pitts has continued the work even after unsuccessfully approaching the railways about being reimbursed or employed to maintain the area.
“I used to do it with a ride-on mower and by hand and asked the railways to cover some of the costs,” he said.
“They said they’d look into it, but nothing ever came of it.”
Living on Wakeham Street, Mr Pitts said he sees the condition of the area every day and believes it plays a vital role in how visitors perceive Stawell.
“I look out my front window and see the long grass,” he said.
“When people get off the train on a Thursday or Friday night, it’s the first thing they see. If they step off and see an overgrown, dirty station, they won’t be coming back. First impressions matter.”
Originally from Melbourne, Mr Pitts moved to Stawell with his family in 1977. Now the last surviving sibling of seven after losing his sister last year, his sense of community service extends beyond Stawell.
Each year, Mr Pitts also volunteers his time maintaining the Moyston Cemetery, where his brother is buried, a task he has carried out for 18 years.
“It’s not just cleaning around one headstone, it’s everything,” he said.
“We use tractors, slashers, ride-on mowers, whipper snippers and blow it all down. It’s about respect.”
He ensures the cemetery is tended to before Christmas, when families visit to remember loved ones.
“The grass was halfway up to the tractor at one stage, and you couldn’t see the hedge,” he said.
“A lot of people go there at Christmas, and sometimes they can’t even get in because of snakes due to the high grass. It turns people away. Again, it’s about respect.”
Through quiet dedication and years of unpaid work, Mr Pitts has become an unsung caretaker of public spaces, motivated not by recognition, but by pride, safety, and respect for his community.
Read More: Stawell