25-06-2004

Land & Water Australia has once again embarked on its annual search for heroes of the landscape, people who are working long and hard to protect and improve our natural resources.

According to Chair of Land & Water Australia Bobbie Brazil, the Community Fellowship Program is designed to help these inspirational people share their stories, to celebrate their achievements and to help build their support networks.

The Program, now in its fourth year, provides grants of up to $15,000 to help people who have an outstanding track record in managing land, water and vegetation, or in mobilising the community, to tell their stories to inspire other people. Past Fellows have produced websites, written books, created CD-ROMs, spoken at conferences, workshops and seminars, and even written and performed songs.

'This is a non-academic award which recognises that regular people, farmers, landcare workers and community volunteers, achieve extraordinary things through patience, practice and hard work,' Mrs Brazil said.

Driven by the strength of their convictions and sometimes at odds with the wisdom of the day, to date often their only reward has been the satisfaction of a job well done.

'Undoubtedly, time will reveal just what a debt we owe to these fantastic people who show us that individuals can make a difference.'

In previous years the Community Fellowships Program has uncovered some incredible visionaries such as John Ive and family, whose work on their New South Wales Southern Tablelands grazing property was recently recognised with honours in two categories at the United Nations World Environment Day Awards. The Ive family is also in the running for a national Landcare Award later this year, and they have recently been nominated for the Weekly Times newspaper Farmer of the Year Award.

Past recipients in South Australia include:

• (2003) Nina Brown, a tireless volunteer coordinator of Irati Wanti Campaign office in Coober Peedy. The Irati Wanti -"the poison leave it" in Yankuntjatjara language - Campaign was started by the Indigenous women's council, Kupa Piti Kungka Tjuta, to prevent a national radioactive waste dump being established on their traditional land. In 1998, Nina was so moved by the Kungka Tjuta's fight to stop the waste dump, she left behind her friends and family in Melbourne and moved to Coober Pedy to help the Kungka's communicate their message to the broader Australian community. Nina has used her Land & Water Australia Community Fellowship to share her knowledge of how to work with traditional Indigenous people on environmental issues and demonstrate that one person can make a difference when they act on their passion and conviction.
• (2003) Bob Giles was instrumental in campaigning for sustainable development in 1972 which led to South Australia's City of Salisbury being world leaders in wetland technology. The SA Housing Trust had planned to build housing on land known to be subject to flooding, but the community, led by Bob, said "No". He successfully proposed an innovative alternative that achieved more housing than the original plans with the land released from housing becoming available for recreational sporting fields and passive recreation opportunities such as wetlands that absorb urban run-off, settle out pollutants and attract and sustain aviculture and urban forest. Bob is using his Fellowship to write a book about how the Para Paddocks were rescued by citizen intervention and his role in inspiring community support.
• (2003) Singer-songwriter Jeanette Wormald says "the Mallee's greatest threat is a poor attitude towards it." She and her husband Dean are practicing broad acre farmers based in the Mallee who are convinced that sustainable farming techniques can assist the region achieve economic prosperity. Passionate about raising awareness of the need to care for the Mallee Jeanette uses her music talents to promote sustainable agricultural practices. Her Land & Water Australia Community Fellowship was used to develop and tour her Horizons and Heartlands - Songs and Images of the Mallee concert which she will be touring to Tamworth, Gympie, Coffs Harbour, Sydney and Canberra in August and September. Since receiving the Fellowship Jeanette has also been named a national finalist in the prestigious Golden Saddle Awards for independent country music artists. For more information about the tour and the show visit Jeanette's website at www.jeanettewormald.com
• (2002) Renmark's Jack Seekamp has worked a fruit block, run a company and lectured at University - all the while making notes, taking photographs and keeping an eye on the Murray. As long ago as the 1940's he raised concerns about salt levels, then in 1967, he produced a landmark home video "Salt in the Murray Valley". Jack's vast records have been described as "virtual goldmine for environmental scientists" which is "priceless and irreplaceable" . Jack's Community Fellowship has allowed him to properly archive his personal documentary of the Murray River, so others can learn from his experience.
• (2002) Working near the Murray Mouth, Karyn Bradford's story is about turning around community attitudes to help protect a Ramsar-listed wetland. A former farmer now business owner, textile artist, community advocate and Regional Expansion Officer for Wetland Care Australia, Karyn turned around the community's perceptions, attracted funding and facilitated the birth of the Milang Wetland and Snipe Sanctuary Project. Through her Fellowship Karyn celebrated the 2003 International year of Fresh Water by sharing her Milang experience and exploring the relationship between on ground wetland repair projects and community building.
• (2001) For more than four years Kate Andrews worked in one of the most isolated parts of Australia with graziers, Indigenous communities, tourism operators, government and conservationists to try to reach agreement on how to better manage the vast Lake Eyre Basin. What began as a challenge, resulted in the creation of the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group and the development of a Basin-wide strategy culminating in the Heads of Agreement between the South Australian, Queensland and Commonwealth Governments. The Fellowship has allowed Kate to capture her experiences and to distil key insights that should be valuable for landcare and catchment groups throughout Australia.

Land & Water Australia's Community Fellowships were established in 2001 with support from a private philanthropist and are valued at between $2,000 and $15,000. They aim to provide inspirational people with the opportunity to share their practical natural resource management skills. The Fellowships are non-academic awards to enable winners to share an experience through writing, travel, presentations and other forms of communication.
Applications for the 2004 Community Fellowships close on July 9 2004.

For more information visit www.lwa.gov.au , send an email to Land&WaterAustralia@lwa.gov.au or contact Samantha Burt on 02 6263 6026.

ENDS

Media enquiries: Media Officer, Land & Water Australia 02 6263 6000