A celebration in south-west Sydney
Greater Sydney Landcare Day and 10th Birthday
Community Participation - LEP23-015-RLC-02
The issue
Greater Sydney Landcare wanted to celebrate it's 10 year anniversary with all those who have contributed to making the organisation a success. In addition, the 10th birthday celebration was considered an opportunity to shine a light on some of the environmental issues facing South-west Sydney and the work that has been undertaken in this 'often forgotten' area. Greater Sydney Landcare has been working on a number of projects within South-west Sydney including Cumberland Plain Woodland restoration, Koala habitat restoration and the Great Eastern Ranges project. It was important to communicate and celebrate this on-going work to a network of interested groups, partners and individuals.
The solution
An event was organised at the Campbell Arts Centre towards the end of November 2024, with invitations sent to all Greater Sydney Landcare staff, network groups, members and specific partners. The event space was generously organised on our behalf by Campbelltown council with guest speakers including; Peter Ridgeway (Biodiversity Restoration Lead at Greater Sydney Local Land Services) presenting "Caring for our trees - from seedlings to veterans" and Matt Stanton from Western Sydney University presenting "Behaviour of wild male koalas in the Georges River bushland". A fieldtrip was organised to a local property (Macarthur Motorcycle Club) where future restoration works are planned in collaboration with the landowner and Xuela Sledge (Greater Sydney Landcare).
The impact
The event was well attended by staff, network group members, partners and community members. The presentations at Campbelltown Arts Centre were well-received and attendees got plenty of opportunity for networking and discussion. A smoking ceremony (conducted by Uncle Pete of Wori Wooilywa) took place on the Macarthur Motorcycle Club property prior to the field trip, with other members of Wori Wooilywa in attendance and offering knowledge of Country. The sharing of knowledge from various perspectives of the south-west Sydney community (indigenous and scientific) was extremely valuable and encouraging.
Key facts
- Celebrated 10 years of Greater Sydney Landcare
- Highlighted projects in South-west Sydney
- Indigenous and scientific perspectives were respected