TWO Blackwood Basin Group (BBG) staff members made the trip over to Melbourne to represent and spread the word about the valuable Landcare work being undertaken in WA at the 2014 National Landcare Conference.
Taking place from September 17 to 19, this conference focused on acknowledging 25 years of the Landcare movement at a national level.
BBG Program Coordinator Felicity Willett and Project Officer Sara Dulex joined five other Landcare officers from the Blackwood Catchment to hear inspiring keynote speakers, present on their own experiences, gain ideas from across the country and discover new opportunities for Landcare in WA.
With the theme of Celebrating our History, Growing our Future, the conference featured keynote speeches from the Hon. Greg Hunt, MP Minister for the Environment, behaviour change researcher, Tanya Ha, along with personal recounts from those instrumental in the development of the Landcare movement as we know it.
On Wednesday September 17, field trips were conducted to the Victorian surrounds to showcase 25 years of Landcare projects. “It was great to participate in the field trips, seeing on-ground projects firsthand and speaking with the Landcare officers and landholders involved,” Miss Dulex said. “This offered good examples of collaborations and innovations that met both production and environmental outcomes.”
The Conference also offered the opportunity for groups to present on their journey, flagship projects or aspirations for the future. Places were strictly limited, so it was a huge honour for both the Blackwood Basin Group’s Felicity Willett and Katanning Landcare’s Ella Maesepp to be chosen to present on their chosen topics.
“I spoke about the way the BBG has adapted to not only the changing landscape of the local area and community in which we work, but also the environment sector as funds and political priorities fluctuate. It’s a huge achievement for our group to still be active and thriving after 21 years of Landcare work, and it was fitting to celebrate along with Landcare’s birthday,” Miss Willett said.
The conference was also host to the National Landcare Awards gala dinner, which included a speech and presentation award from former Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
The BBG staff are very appreciative of the assistance received through South West Catchments Council’s Training and Capacity Building Support for Regional Partners program to attend the Conference.