Mark was described as the ‘quintessential bush carer’ by his nominator. He is passionate about protecting his local bushland, and loves to get things done through practical action. Living in Hilltop, at the northern end of Wingecarribee Shire, his group meets on Sundays, and if Mark had his way, Christmas Day would be a Bushcare day as well.

As well as Convening the Hilltop Bushcare Group, Mark works full time and is busily involved in the Hilltop Bushfire Brigade as Captain. He described how, having bought land in the bushy village, he endeavoured to learn all he could about his local vegetation and animals. Joining the Bushfire Brigade made sense as he gains and shares knowledge about appropriate fire regimes to manage the bushland in a sympathetic manner.

Mark has been active in a program to reduce the numbers of Indian Mynas in the area. These introduced birds are very aggressive and will displace native birds from tree hollows.  Mark constructs his own traps and disposes of the trapped birds humanely. His interest in the value of hollows has led to him constructing tree hollows around his home and for other local bushland areas. He has an eye for an appropriate piece of hollowed wood and, depending on its size and shape, will work with it to create a suitable nesting hole for small brown birds, rosellas, and larger birds, bats and possums.

Here is a link to short video about Mark