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Local landholders become landcare coordinators
In 1996 Mid Macquarie Landcare Chairman, Tom Gavel, decided it was time to train local landholders as landcare coordinators.
Tom's plan was to keep local knowledge and information within the community. Before this, the majority of people being trained as coordinators were not locals. Many would leave the area for more secure employment, taking their skills and knowledge with them.
Funding
Mid Macquarie Landcare Group received funding for 1996-2000 from the Australian Government to develop a program for local people to be trained as landcare coordinators.
The project continued into 2000-2002 with additional funding for the Capacity Building and Empowerment of the Wellington/Dubbo Community Project.
The State Government has also provided support.
Mid Macquarie Landcare is an umbrella network for 53 rural and urban landcare groups in the Wellington/Dubbo region. The network encompasses Wellington, Dubbo and Cabonne Councils and involves 1,080 farms and 850 families covering 830,000 hectares.
Activities
The original group of coordinators was fondly titled Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as Tom (Snow White) organised landcare training and managed the seven locals.
Tom realised training local landholders would reduce the high turnover of coordinators.
"Coordinators would be trained and then use it as a stepping-stone," he said. "This meant our intellectual property was lost, as was the experience of the coordinator. "
However, Tom felt there were local landholders with experience in natural resource management and landcare who would enjoy a part-time casual job of approximately two days a week.
Tom's wife, Maryan, undertook the training and still works as a coordinator.
"Originally there were seven of us drawn from the farming community," she said.
"We each looked after eight Landcare groups, giving them support and information to seek funds and implement their projects. The beauty of this was that we knew many of the landholders and so we had their trust.
"We taught them how to source funds and get involved in landcare.
Achievements
"We were the seven dwarfs. Today all of us are still involved in landcare."
Since 1998 the coordinators have been responsible for managing regional plans for the Mid Macquarie, Bell River catchment, Little River Catchment and a Salinity Prioritisation and Strategic Direction Project. They also manage projects on acid soils, grazing management and revegetation and rehabilitation of native species.
More information
- Tom Gavel, Mid Macquarie Landcare CEO: (02) 6369 6272
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