Sylvia Leighton and Peter McKenzie win 2022 Australian Government Landcare Farming Award

25 AUGUST: Dynamic sustainable farming duo Sylvia Leighton and Peter McKenzie were awarded the 2022 Australian Government Landcare Farming award last night for their work on Wilyun Pools Farm, a 1214ha property near Wellstead on the south coast of Western Australia.

Using their wealth of scientific knowledge and experience in biology, ecology, community landcare and soil science, Sylvia and Peter have transformed Wilyun Pools Farm into locally recognised haven for biodiversity. The highly productive farm now boasts thriving wildlife corridors connecting to the remnant bush comprised of Kwongan shrubland, Swamp banksia, and Yate woodland communities.

“We’re humbled to receive the 2022 Australian Government Landcare Farming award for our work on Wilyun Pools Farm and hope that it inspires others to take action on their own patch,” Sylvia said.

“Wilyun Pools Farm is a testament to our whole community including Landcare WA, Southcoast NRM, Green Skills and the Noongar Elders, who have supported our work to restore health to this precious, biodiverse part of the planet.

“Revegetating Wilyun Pools Farm has taught us how much easier it has become to farm sustainably- if we can do it, others can do it too! It’s exciting to be in a new chapter for agriculture where being ecologically friendly is commercially valuable and commercially relevant.”

Minister for Agriculture Senator Murray Watt congratulated Sylvia and Peter on their achievements on Wilyun Pools Farm, saying they were paving the way for Australia’s sustainable farming future.

“Sylvia and Peter serve as an inspiration to the farming community across Australia. Their motto of ‘seeking balance’ exemplifies what landcare farming is all about: production, community and environment,” Minister Watt said.

“Thank you to Sylvia and Peter for your ongoing commitment to create a stronger, cleaner and greener agriculture industry here in Australia, and I look forward to hearing about the ongoing success of their work on Wilyun Pools Farm.”

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Wal Mayr wins 2022 Australian Government Individual Landcarer Award

25 AUGUST: Gold Coast landcare champion Wal Mayr has received top landcare honours, being announced as the winner of the 2022 Australian Government Individual Landcarer Award at the National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner in Sydney last night.

Mr Mayr has been a dedicated Landcarer for over 40 years, is the coordinator of Austinville Landcare and the President of Watergum, the umbrella Group for Landcare groups in the Gold Coast Region. Since the 1970’s he and his wife have restored their remote 25ha degraded property back to its original rainforest habitat, protecting the land in perpetuity as Blue Fig Creek Nature Refuge.

“It’s an absolute honour to be here with my friends, family and amazing landcarers from across Australia to receive this award,” Wal said.

“To me this is a joint award – my wife Heather, the incredible landcarers at Austinville Landcare and the team and volunteers at Watergum have been with me every step of the way. It’s only by working together that we have created real momentum in maintaining and restoring the beautiful natural landscapes of the Gold Coast and hinterland.

“I am especially inspired and motivated by the young landcarers I have the privilege to work with, and am hopeful that this award shows them that by undertaking meaningful environmental work and combined with passion, energy and good management, we can realise our dream of changing society and making a positive environmental impact.”

Minister for Agriculture Senator Murray Watt acknowledged Wal’s extensive landcare work and lifelong commitment to giving back to the local environment and community.

“This is what landcare leadership looks like. Wal’s initiative, drive and outstanding accomplishments are an inspiration to landcarers across Australia,” Minister Watt said.

“I congratulate Wal and his family, along with Landcare Austinville and Watergum on the wide range of fantastic landcare projects they continue to deliver for the Gold Coast region, and look forward to hearing about their ongoing success.”

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Inventor of the No Kill Cropping System takes home landcare’s most prestigious award

25 AUGUST: NSW farmer and landcare legend Bruce Maynard has received landcare’s highest honour, being announced as the winner for the 2022 Bob Hawke Landcare Award at the National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner in Sydney last night.

Mr Maynard is the inventor of the No Kill Cropping System, a unique, revolutionary technique that relies on the retention of full grassland functions and consumption of almost no external inputs. He also initiated the Constructive Farming Cooperative- a group of farmers and researchers committed to extending the application of regenerative agricultural techniques, developed the Stress Free Stockmanship competencies, and pioneered a new field of animal behavioural science called Self Herding alongside Dr Dean Revell.

“The biggest challenge facing Australian farmers today is to integrate sustainable environmental practices with a practical, profitable production system. I’m proud to accept the Bob Hawke Landcare Award for making that challenge a little bit easier,” Mr Maynard said.

“No Kill Cropping is a game changer for sustainable farming because it lets farmers change easily and quickly between a grazing enterprise and cropping enterprise in the one paddock.”

“I really believe that farmers have the opportunity to work together to address some of the greatest pressures facing us globally such as climate change and species decline. I hope that my work will inspire others to begin their own sustainable farming journey and contribute to a greener future for Australian farming.”

Minister for Agriculture Senator Murray Watt announced the award and said he was impressed by Mr Maynard’s groundbreaking accomplishments and dedication to sustainable agricultural practices across Australia.

“Bruce exemplifies the valuable work being done by the farmers who are taking environmental sustainability seriously and making innovative improvements to their farm practices,” Minister Watt said.

“Whether they be to improve land, soils, vegetation, biodiversity, or animal welfare, our agricultural practices impact everyone. Bruce’s scalable, forward-thinking approach to agriculture is exactly what we need to build resilience and improve environmental and community outcomes.”

“Congratulations to Bruce for his work and well-deserved win of the 2022 Bob Hawke Landcare Award. I look forward to following his future achievements.”

The winner of the Bob Hawke Landcare Award is presented with a prize package to the value of $50,000 for further development of their knowledge and skills in sustainable land management to enable an even stronger contribution to landcare.

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Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation Narrap Unit win 2022 KPMG Indigenous Land Management Award

25 AUGUST: Champion Indigenous landcarers, Victoria’s Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation Narrap Unit, have been announced as the winners for the 2022 KPMG Indigenous Land Management Award at the National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner last night.

The Narrap Unit cares for Wurundjeri Country by blending conventional environmental conservation and land management methods with Wurundjeri cultural practices, and is currently one of the only Traditional Owner groups within Australia delivering Natural Resource Management (NRM) services in the open market. Due to their incredible work and demand for their services, the current team of 20 full-time employees – all with a Cert III in Conservation Land Management, is expected to grow to 40 in the next year.

“We’re honoured to accept this award which acknowledges the benefits thousands of years of cultural knowledge brings to land management here in Australia,” said Narrap Unit Manager and Wurundjeri Elder, Sean Hunter.

“Providing our people with meaningful, secure employment where they can not only connect with Country but elevate the cultural ecological values of Country and Aboriginal perspectives, has never been more important.”

“We hope our work will inspire young Aboriginal people across Australia to pursue a future in conservation and land management, and join us in our commitment to restoring and managing the health of Country.”

KPMG Australia Chief Purpose Officer Richard Boele who presented the award congratulated the Narrap Unit on their achievements, saying their success demonstrated why First Nations leadership in land management was critical for the future of conservation in Australia.

“The Narrap Unit are champions in Indigenous land management. First Nations people were the first landcarers and are the custodians of over 40,000 years of knowledge and the Narrap Unit’s incredible achievements show exactly why indigenous land managers are essential for ensuring positive conservation outcomes across Australia,” said Mr Boele.

“I congratulate all the members of the Narrap Unit on their well-deserved win and their outstanding success in landcare. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to Country and the community.”

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Australia’s top three landcare champions revealed

9 AUGUST 2022: Landcare Australia has announced the three finalists for the prestigious 2022 Bob Hawke Landcare Award today- all outstanding leaders and innovators in a diverse range of landcare projects.

Inspired by the former Australian Prime Minister, the Hon. Bob Hawke AC, the Bob Hawke Landcare Award is Landcare’s most coveted, national award. Now celebrating its 10^th anniversary, the award recognises landcare leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to natural resource management and sustainable agriculture.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Murray Watt, said that he was impressed by the calibre of this years’ finalists and their groundbreaking accomplishments in landcare.

“The work of Dr Retallack, Mr Maynard and Mr Bassett could not be more important. These finalists are the landcare leaders and innovators that are paving the way for Australia’s sustainable farming future,” said Minister Watt.

“Their achievements show exactly why farmers, graziers and land managers across Australia need to be part of the conversation on how to address the climate crisis and improve sustainability. Their forward-thinking approach to agriculture is exactly what we need to build resilience and improve environmental outcomes.”

“Bob Hawke elevated landcare from a grass-roots community initiative to a national movement, and the Bob Hawke Landcare Award is important in highlighting the valuable work being done by the farmers who are taking environmental sustainability seriously and are eager to learn new ways to improve their farm practices.”

“I congratulate every one of these finalists for their incredible success.”

The winner of the 2022 Bob Hawke Landcare Award will be announced at the 2022 National Landcare Awards Gala Dinner on August 24, and awarded a prize package to the value of $50,000 for further development of their knowledge and skills in sustainable land management to enable an even stronger contribution to landcare.

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Finalists for the 2022 Bob Hawke Landcare Award are:

Dr Mary Retallack (SA): Dr Mary Retallack has dedicated her life to the pursuit of environmental stewardship by sharing the practical skills needed to employ ecological restoration in vineyards throughout Australia. As an experienced agroecologist, scientist, and third-generation viticulturist, Dr Retallack has pioneered the use of native insectary plants in and around production systems and currently runs the National Landcare Smart Farms Small Grants funded EcoVineyards program, in collaboration with the Wine Grape Council of SA and more than 60 partnering organisations. Launched in SA, the highly successful program has recently received funding from Wine Australia to roll out a National EcoVineyards Program and is actively influencing the wine growing practices of more than 6,000 grape growers that collectively manage more than 146,000 hectares of wine grapes throughout Australia.

 

Bruce Maynard (NSW): Bruce Maynard is an agricultural innovator and inventor of the No Kill Cropping System, a unique, revolutionary technique that relies on the retention of full grassland functions resulting in the consumption of almost no external inputs. Mr Maynard’s extensive experience and passion for sustainable agriculture and landcare has led him to share his knowledge and skills with farmers and landcarers across Australia and form the Constructive Farming Cooperative, a group of farmers and researchers committed to extending the application of regenerative agricultural techniques. In addition, his strong commitment to animal welfare has also led him to develop the Stress Free Stockmanship competencies, and pioneer a new field of animal behavioural science called Self Herding alongside Dr Dean Revell.

 

Geoff Bassett (NSW): Geoff Bassett is a nationally recognised specialist in regenerative agriculture and soil health and the founder of Farm Mojo, where he supports broad acre farmers across Australia to transition from contemporary chemical usage to working with natural systems. A professional farmer for over 40 years, Mr Bassett champions enhancing on-farm soil fertility through mineral balancing, microbiology, carbon sequestration and promoting biodiversity to increase net profitability and ensure long term environmental resilience to climate change. Passionate about providing achievable solutions to complex problems and improving economic and environmental outcomes in rural communities, Mr Bassett has worked extensively with Landcare groups across Australia for the last 35 years and is a project leader and research collaborator with The Carbon Farm and Southern Cross University.