Landcare Australia welcomes four new members to its Board of Directors
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.
