On a cold winter’s day in Victoria’s north-west, a five-week-old kitten is discovered dumped at a recycling centre.
Mildura Landfill staff who had been mourning the death of their grouchy-looking office cat leapt at the opportunity to make a new feline friend.
They named the kitten Winter and set up a spot for her in a thatched basket from where she could watch the birds outside.
Winter has quickly become a popular fixture at the facility and is a beloved member of the team of about 20 people.
Waste operations team leader Josie Good said Winter had been assigned the unofficial role of care and therapy officer.
“When you are having a bad day, it’s actually quite nice just to sit and give the cat a scratch on the head … it makes you realise that things aren’t really that bad,” she said.
“I have a particular member of my team who comes in to say hello to me under false pretences.
“He’s actually coming in to sit down and cuddle and pat the kitten.”
Big paws to fill
Winter is not the first cat to grace the landfill office.
A gruff-looking male named Chopper was part of the tip team for six years until he died in January.
“He was a very friendly cat and the staff had grown very fond of him,” Mildura Rural City Council chief executive Martin Hawson said.
“He was able to make friends quickly and of course, he became a bit of a comfort for staff from time to time.”
Council staff would routinely get updates as to Chopper’s movements and experiences and the same is now happening for Winter.
“She likes to chase the cord on a mouse when it’s unplugged rather than play with cat toys and she likes to push things off people’s desks,” Ms Good said.
“She’s been known to make her way over to the weighbridge … sometimes she’d end up in the meeting room at a meeting.
“I have to take her home with me, so if I’m going to staff social club, she has to come with me.”
‘A bit of a cult hero’
About five hours south-east of Mildura, parks and gardens staff at Kyabram congregate for the 9am smoko and await a familiar sight.
A rotund Muscovy duck appeared one day at the Goulburn Valley depot and trekked over in pursuit of food.
Parks and Gardens supervisor Tony McDonell said the bird was quickly named Duck Duck.
“It’s become a bit of a cult hero really,” he said.
“It’s friendly and tame.
“I was amazed — you can even feed it out of your hand if she’s hungry on that given day.”
Mr McDonnell said “pretty much” the whole council had come to know of Duck Duck.
“A lot of times, when you get different people come in for whatever reason, they’ll always ask, ‘Where’s the duck? We’ve heard so much about it,’” he said.
“It’s had its photo taken every Friday … it’s pretty well-known now, good old Duck Duck.
“It’s just one of us now, part of the furniture.”
