Bob Hawke’s annual legacy release to fund mangrove protection in Queensland

May 4, 2022:

Hawke’s Brewing Co. has released its third vintage of Legend IPA, in honour of Bob Hawke, with $1 from every can sold being provided to Landcare Australia, the environmental not-for-profit established by the Hawke Government in 1989, to support mangrove conservation and enhancement in Queensland.

This will be the first batch of Legend IPA brewed at Hawke’s recently-opened facility in Marrickville and also the first time the limited release has been made available in cans, having only been previously released in keg format.

“Every year, we have a unique opportunity to honour Bob’s legacy with a limited release called Legend IPA,” says Hawke’s co-founder, Nathan Lennon.

“This year, we’re reinforcing our ‘Every Sip Gives Back’ promise to Landcare Australia, with $1 from every can sold being provided to fund equipment for the Communities Enhancing Tidal Wetlands project in Queensland, a state that Bob loved and fiercely defended on the environmental front, from saving the Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest from the logging industry, to expanding the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.”

This year’s sales of Hawke’s Legend IPA will assist the Cairns & Far North Environment Centre in funding equipment and resources to upskill volunteers, Indigenous Ranger groups and Landcare groups, as well as increase the capacity of the citizen-science group to obtain data on tidal wetland values and threats.

“Mangroves play an incredibly important role in protecting the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park by serving as a coastal break for natural disasters, reducing nutrient runoff from urban and agricultural sectors, and providing critical habitat for migratory birds and fish of cultural and economic importance,” says Alex Sinchak, Projects & Events Coordinator, Cairns and Far North Environment Centre.

“Thanks to the support of Hawke’s Brewing and Landcare Australia, we will develop and resource community-led, on-the-ground action to address natural and human pressures, such as litter removal from mangroves and increase habitat value with social, cultural, and economic benefits to the Wet Tropics.”

For more information on the partnership visit: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/our-partners/corporate-partners/hawkes-brewing

About Hawke’s Brewing Co:

Hawke’s Brewing Co. is a 100% Australia-owned and operated company, engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling beer products. The company was founded by Nathan Lennon and David Gibson in April 2017, with former Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, the name, face and ambassador of the brand. The company has a foundation partnership with Landcare Australia, with contributions from its beer sales helping to raise awareness and provide financial support for Landcare projects throughout the country. Mr. Hawke held no financial interest in Hawke’s Brewing Co., instead opting to have his benefit provided to support the company’s partnership with Landcare Australia.

7 April, 2022:

A decade on from the inception of the Bob Hawke Landcare Award, landcare-led sustainable agriculture has never been more important in addressing the increasing pressures of environmental degradation and climate change.

With a new award winner set to be announced in August, previous recipients are speaking out about the importance of leadership and innovation in Australian agriculture, and calling on the Australian community to get involved in local landcare initiatives.

2014 winner Colin Seis (NSW)– internationally renowned pioneer of ‘pasture cropping’, said that Australian agriculture had the chance to lead the way in the global future of sustainable farming.

“Farmers were the first to see the impacts of climate change- on our soil, our stock and our crops. Our drive to overcome increasing challenges and take action to not only preserve but improve our land has made us innovators in sustainable agriculture and landcare. We’re showing the world how it’s done.

“We created pasture cropping in 1993, and it’s seen enormous success in making farmland more resilient to drought, wind and water erosion. Since then, there have been many more fantastic innovations in Australian farming, but there’s always more to do- not just here in Australia but on a global scale.

2016 winner Steve Burgess (QLD)– an esteemed conservationist and farmer, said that while strong national leadership is needed to address the environmental crisis, fostering the landcare ethos within all Australian communities is just as impactful.

“The Landcare ethos needs to be ingrained as a core social value across generations into the future. It should become socially unacceptable to bugger up a piece of country, particularly waterways – knowing what we now know about this place.

“If there is even just one special place that you value, look after it, even if it seems small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. With enough people committing to care for their patch and working with others and doing what they can, we will leave our country in a better state for the future.

2018 winner Charlie Arnott (NSW)– a trailblazing biodynamic farmer and grazier, and host of The Regenerative Journey podcast said that Australian farmers were leading the international conversation on farming resilience.

“Despite the variable climate, Australia is an agricultural powerhouse. Our farmers know the importance of landcare in protecting our farms so they remain productive, no matter the challenge.

“The drive to take action on climate change and transition to regenerative agriculture has made farmers across the world hungry for stories, experiences and evidence of the benefits of using regenerative practices. As experts in sustainable and resilient agriculture, Australian farmers are ready to tell those stories and share that knowledge.

2020 winner Andrew Stewart (VIC)– who, along with his family, transformed his Victorian property into a diverse, carbon positive sustainable farm, said attention now needs to be given to inspiring the next generations of sustainable farmers to ensure strong leadership in landcare.

“Landcare farming plays a critical role in addressing the big issues affecting all Australians: climate change, biodiversity loss, and human health. We have a big opportunity to encourage youth into the agricultural industry through the lens of landcare.

“One of our biggest responsibilities is to inspire future leaders to continue to innovate in the industry. We need to support their appetite for landcare led solutions to secure Australia’s sustainable farming future.

Landcare Australia CEO Dr Shane Norrish praised the ongoing advocacy of the previous winners, saying that the future of landcare leadership in Australia had “never looked brighter”.

“Landcarers are a very diverse group and include farmers, families, innovators, entrepreneurs and everyone in between. Their commitment to tackling environmental challenges through sustainable agriculture is unquestionably one of the greatest Australian success stories.

“Over the past 10 years we have seen the winners of the Bob Hawke Landcare Award do extraordinary work in sustainable agriculture to drive the landcare movement forward. I know this year’s nominees will have built on the success of previous winners to achieve even more.

Photos available HERE

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22 December 2021 – Landcare Australia is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of four new Directors to the board. These appointments mark the culmination of an extensive national search to ensure the organisation is well supported by Directors with a comprehensive set of skills and experience, particularly related to engagement with youth, strong Indigenous connections, innovative services, agriculture and broader landcare knowledge.

The new Board Directors are:

Ricky Archer, CEO of the North Australian Indigenous Land & Sea Management Alliance. Ricky has extensive NRM and governance experience, and is a Director of various Indigenous and NRM organisations, including the NT Aboriginal Land Management Advisory Group and CRC for Developing Northern Australia. Now based in Darwin, he is a Djungan man from the Western Tablelands region of North Queensland.

Naomi Edwards, Co-Founder of Intrepid Landcare, a national network that inspires young people to act and lead with landcare and is a community engagement and communications specialist. Based in South-East Queensland, Naomi has a strong history of advocating for meaningful community participation in NRM, particularly in coastal and marine settings. Naomi is currently Campaign Manager for cChange, an innovative communications organisation based in the Pacific that leads behaviour change campaigns for a range of sectors.

Anna Hooper, a highly regarded agribusiness professional with extensive national resource management, policy, finance and governance experience. Anna has a strong practical background in the wine industry, being a winemaker and viticulturalist in Australia and overseas. Anna has been held various Board roles including with the SE NRM Board and Australian Vignerons. Anna is currently Manager, Industry Policy for Australian Grape and & Wine, based in Adelaide.

James Walker, is a fifth generation grazier operating Camden Park located near Longreach, Queensland. The property is a 8,000 Ha organic, global animal partnership (GAP) accredited cattle station that hosts agritourism and a large scale solar farm. Being a 2012 Nuffield Scholar and awarded Australian Farmer of the Year for excellence in diversification, James has built digital platforms and generated alternative businesses models to include environmental sustainability into farmer profit streams. James was a finalist for the 2020 Bob Hawke Landcare Award.

Chair of the Board, Doug Humann AM, said, “We are delighted to welcome Ricky, Naomi, Anna and James to the Landcare Australia Board of Directors.”

“The addition of our new Directors, each with their professional skills and background, round-out the Board’s expertise, better positioning us to support implementation of Landcare Australia’s new strategic plan. The new Directors will ensure the Board is well placed to support stronger engagement with the diverse landcare community, including Traditional custodians, younger landcarers and the rural sector.”

They will assist guide the establishment of new partnership opportunities and programs to generate much needed support for the landcare movement into the future.”

Doug Humann AM also noted the outstanding contribution of departing Director, Jan Davis.

“I would like to thank Jan for her significant contribution to the Landcare Australia Board and for landcare more broadly over the past 6 years. Jan’s extensive experience in the agriculture, NRM and not-for-profit sectors has provided invaluable governance support for the organisation as we have worked to create closer ties with our stakeholders, particularly our partner organisations in the landcare movement.”

Federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley, who was once a secretary of her own local landcare group, said that the experience of Landcare Australia’s expanded Board will assist benefits to flow through to the landcare volunteers.

“As one of the oldest conservation and sustainable agriculture movements in the country, our people in Landcare play such an important part in their communities and local environment. It’s great to see the new skills and practical experience added to Landcare Australia’s Board, reflecting the diversity of the landcare movement, and well equipped to support their needs. It’s got to be a win for landcare and a win for our country.”

The new Directors are formally appointed as of January 1, 2022.

November 19 2021:

 Winning landcare projects were announced yesterday at the 2021 Western Australia Landcare Awards at the Kalamunda Community Centre, where community landcarers from across the state came together to celebrate their impressive achievements.

The awards celebrate the incredible efforts of individuals and groups, young and old, to protect Western Australia’s natural resources, stewarding a more resilient landscape for the future. The award winners and their projects are diverse, ranging from farming and Indigenous land management, to educational and mapping tools.

Mick Davis, Chair of the WA Landcare Network, thanked the award sponsors and paid tribute to the finalists and winners as champions of the landcare community.

“Last night’s event was a fabulous celebration of the breadth of landcare volunteering in WA. The awards recognise individuals, groups and partnerships, importantly including First Nations custodians caring for country,” he said. 

“On behalf of the Western Australian landcare community, I would like to extend huge congratulations to all the finalists and winners in the award categories. We’re seeing real and substantial outcomes from the dedication and commitment of community landcarers. It’s critical that we continue to support and recognise their tremendous efforts.”

Winners in National Award categories will represent Western Australia at the 2022 National Landcare Awards, to be held at Sydney’s International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, on Wednesday 24 August.

Landcare Australia CEO, Dr Shane Norrish, commended recipients of the Landcare Western Australia Awards on their outstanding accomplishments.

‘It’s an honour to be able to recognise the great work being carried out by our landcare champions in Western Australia,” Dr Norrish said.  “The Landcare Awards program provides landcarers with the ideal opportunity to get together and celebrate individual and collective achievements of landcare.”

He added: “Landcarers across Australia deserve to be acknowledged, and we’re looking forward to seeing the winners represent their communities at the National Landcare Awards next year.”

2021 Western Australia Landcare Award Winners

Australian Government Landcare Farming Award

Sylvia Leighton and Peter McKenzie

Sylvia and Peter farm Wilyun Pools Farm, a 1214-hectare property located in Wellstead District, 100 kilometres northeast of Albany on the south coast. The property motto is “Seeking Balance.”

Sylvia is a botanist, dedicated conservation and land management educator. In her role as a TAFE lecturer and leader of community workshops and field trips, she also serves as a mentor for scores of young people starting their careers in land management and farming.

In 1965, Sylvia was just a year old when her family arrived at their conditional purchase property, Wilyun Pools Farm, and set about clearing it for agriculture. Peter has a farm forestry and agriculture background and has worked with farmers across the region promoting integrated farm forestry. Together they are dedicated to returning the farm to a sustainable state using regenerative farming methods.

Regenerative farming has given them a network of fellow landholders with similar philosophies and language. They have adopted the three pillars of landcare and regenerative agriculture: healthy environment, healthy society and healthy economy. They believe in taking actions to increase their own and rural communities’ societal wellbeing and are concerned about the loss of populations in rural areas brought on by the amalgamation of properties.

2021 Western Australia Landcare Award Winners