Wednesday 4 December 2019

Local Landcarers recognised

The Environmental Excellence in Landcare (EEL) Awards were bestowed upon several deserving local individuals at the Landcare end of year celebration on 29/11/19. 

Jean Austen and Wendy Davidson were awarded the Local Legend Award for a landcarer who has made a regular and colossal contribution for more than two years.

Threlkeld Reserve Guardian* Jean met all the criteria with flying colours.
  • Works regularly on their project - Jean started landcaring in 1998 and although she’s slowed down she hasn’t stopped.
  • Motivates their group, Jean’s Buschcare In Threlkeld on Thursday team raised the landcare bar and introduced weekly landcaring in our community.
  • Implements best practice natural resource management - at Threlkeld Reserve Jean was insistent that the best possible approach to landcare be implemented to ensure the integrity of the high conservation values of the reserve. Under the previous local planning instruments Threlkeld Reserve had the same environmental status as a national park due to the exceptional bushland qualities of the reserve.
  • Shares their knowledge and experience – Jean and the BITT crew investigated the impacts of leaving lantana on site, first raised awareness of the local Squirrel Glider population and enthusiastically documented and shared their findings.

Wendy Davidson’s contribution included starting up Fishing Point landcare in 2000, joining the Toronto Landcare care crew for a couple of years and assisting with their transformation to Lake Macquarie Landcare Network and regularly attending CPPA landcare sessions from 2015.
L-R Lois, Jean, Suzanne, Robyn, Wendy
Lois Simpson received a 10 Years Service Award, which is granted to someone whose dedication to landcare is an inspiration to everyone. Over the past decade Lois has definitely inspired with her motivational and inclusive style, she has headed the Lake Mac Landcare Volunteer Network for the past three years and maintains two landcare sites at Abre Close and Lions Park, as well as being a local guardian* of Gurranba and Burnage and attending the weekly local landcare sessions, as Lois so aptly puts it “Landcare is a lifestyle choice”.

Suzanne Pritchard received a 20 years of service award for dedication to Landcare andbeing an inspiration to everyone, as well as the ‘Soaring with eagles Award, which is given to a landcarer who has made a regionally significant contribution. Suzanne’s links to the local landcare movement are extensive, she formed the Progress Association landcare group in 1995, one of the first in the City, was part of the team that established the Lake Macquarie Landcare Network and has delivered major landcare projects in Warners Bay and here at Coal Point. Suzanne is a guardian* of Stansfield and Hampton St Link reserves as well as a regular landcarer.

(*coordinates the landcare sessions for the reserve)

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