Southern Otway Landcare eNews December 20
2011 has been a year of change for the Southern Otway Landcare Network. Quenton Gay and Libby Riches joined us in January in the positions of Team Leader and Community Coordinator. Pest Plant and Animal Coordinator Luke Hynes and Support Centre Coordinator Dianne Ingliss both moved on to new positions in the first half of the year, however Southern Otway Landcare was extremely fortunate to find Jack Pascoe to step in and fill both these roles. Staff changes were not over yet, though. Long term employee Kristen Lees resigned at the close of 2012 to take on a position in Waterwatch with the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority. Kristen has been with Southern Otway Landcare for more than 4 years and her knowledge and experience will be greatly missed. We wish her the best of luck in her new position.
It’s been a busy year with many highlights. We signed with our major sponsor Barwon Water for another three years, allowing us to continue to deliver projects within the Barham Catchment. 36,000 seedlings were planted at 10 project sites through the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority’s Protecting the Estuaries of the Great Ocean Road program and promising results have emerged from the Holistic Planned Grazing trials we have been conducting over the last few years. Alison Pouliot’s Fungi workshop was hugely popular as ever. Alison will be conducting a more advanced workshop in May next year – keep an eye out for further details. Over $1,000 worth of new titles were added to our resource library on a variety of topics. All members of the public are invited to come in and browse our resource library at any time. In recent weeks we received news that our network had been successful in obtaining funding for a part-time Landcare Facilitator position for four years. This funding will greatly assist us to support Landcare in Southern Otways.
Early in the new year we will be moving. The Shire of Colac Otway has kindly agreed to allow us to take occupancy of the offices formerly occupied by Fisheries in the Shire building in Nelson Street. If you’ve ever visited us in our current office you’ll know what a tight squeeze it is! Our new home has three separate offices plus a large communal space. We believe that this will make it much more welcoming to come and learn about Landcare and browse through our fantastic resources. We are extremely grateful to the Shire of Colac Otway for their ongoing support of Landcare.
There are many other people who also deserve our thanks. Barwon Water continues to be a major supporter of our Network and we are deeply grateful for their support. We must also thank all the staff at the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority for their continual hard work and support. Most importantly, however, thanks must go to all our Landcare volunteers. First and foremost, to our Committee of Management and various sub committees who run a tight ship and contribute so much voluntary time and effort. A particular mention must be made of Roslyn Jamieson who stepped up into the role of President in 2011. Thanks also to the Committees and members of our four local Landcare groups: Wye to Wongarra, Apollo Bay, Otway Barham Catchment and Hordernvale Glenaire. You are the backbone of Landcare and the movement is nothing without your drive and passion. A special mention must be made of Townies for Landcare. This group has contributed approximately 400 hours of volunteer time in 2011. They weed, they plant, they mulch, they propagate. The impact of Townies on the Apollo Bay area cannot be underestimated.
Wishing you all a safe and joyous Christmas and New Year and thank you all for your support. Quenton Gay, Jack Pascoe and Libby Riches.
The Landcare Office closes on December the 20th and re-opens on January the 9th. When we do re-open, we’ll be across the other side of the building!