Australia Day Landcare awards recognise past and present contributions

Australia Day Landcare Awards 2020 recognise landcare achievements in Boorowa.

Steve Bunnell and Roger Clarke have been named as the 2020 Boorowa Community Landcare Group Australia Day Award recipients.

Mr Clarke received his award for the pioneering and innovative revegetation practices that he has overseen and for his role as a foundation member of Boorowa Landcare Group.

While Mr Bunnell received his award for or his outstanding service to the Boorowa Community Landcare Group and his passion for on-farm revegetation as well.

In presenting the awards, Chairperson of the Boorowa Community Landcare Group, Paul

 Robina Beard OAM with Boorowa's Landcare Award recipients Roger Clarke and Steve Bunnell.

Steve Bunnell and Roger Clarke have been named as the 2020 Boorowa Community Landcare Group Australia Day Award recipients.

Mr Clarke received his award for the pioneering and innovative revegetation practices that he has overseen and for his role as a foundation member of Boorowa Landcare Group.

While Mr Bunnell received his award for or his outstanding service to the Boorowa Community Landcare Group and his passion for on-farm revegetation as well.

In presenting the awards, Chairperson of the Boorowa Community Landcare Group, Paul Cavanagh, said the group was lucky to have both men's involvement throughout its history.

"Boorowa Landcare has been continuously running for 30 years which is quite remarkable for a voluntary organisation until you meet the committee members and coordinators past and present who willingly and selflessly organise and execute the numerous activities delivered to this community," he said.

"The project that got everything started 30 years ago was to deal with the rising water table and dry land salinity, with salt poisoning the country.

"Roger sorted funding with a group of others and motivated landholders to deal with the issue in what was dubbed the 'salt shaker project'.

"This project transformed the landscape and promoted the importance of perennial plants and trees in the landscape.

"Fast forward to 2020 and we have the opposite problem, we have a bone-dry landscape. Ironically, it's the same solution (as the salt shaker project).

"It's still about having perennial species and biodiversity to do both jobs to keep the water table at the right level and to keep the moisture in the landscape.

"This is where Steve has excelled, as our current treasurer his exemplary financial management of multiple grants delivered to multiple projects while holding down a full-time job in the city and managing his own farm in Boorowa has been quite remarkable.

"I want to thank these two men for what they have done in the past and what they are doing now and into the future," he said.