Champions of the Catchment 2011 ~ Landcare Illawarra
Every even year, at a prestigious gathering in Canberra, the National Landcare Awards are judged from all the state and territory Landcare winners. This means that every odd year, the State/Territory Landcare Awards need to be judged as the lead up to the National awards.
While there are 12 state Landcare award categories, there are always some Landcare people, who despite the work they do, do not meet the strict criteria of the awards.
For this reason South East Landcare, partnering with Southern Rivers CMA, decided to promote separate awards in each of the 7 District Landcare Associations (DLAs) that make up South East Landcare in the Southern Rivers catchment. The purpose of these awards is to recognise the many Landcare enthusiasts we have, who, because what they do does not meet the strict criteria of the 12 state awards, will not receive recognition for the contributions they make, and without which, their local environment and their local community would be much poorer.
For this reason, Landcare Illawarra nominated a number of community groups and individuals as a local "Champions".
Anders Bofeldt -- Outstanding Contribution to Biodiversity Award
Anders was a man whose life passion was to discover and preserve the beauty and value of plants and their ecosystems. He regarded the trees and plants of the Illawarra region like a family, and he made it his personal crusade to preserve the essential biodiversity of our region for future generations. For someone whose antecedents were in the chilly climes of Scandinavia, he had the affinity of an indigenous Australian for man's oneness with the environment. He understood the language of country, and he walked the land with the knowledge and confidence of someone for whom it was a birthright. It was a knowledge that combined the European formality of botanical Latin with an understanding of the ancient aboriginal culture that sustained our environment over the centuries. It was as if he knew every tree in the region as an individual. Those who worked with him would watch in awe as he found a particular tree he was looking for, even if it was several years since he had last seen it, greeting it like an old friend. As a biologist, Anders worked at the Wollongong Botanic Gardens where he started as a trainee back in the 1980s. His obsession was seeds. Seeds of every description, lovingly collected from our region's forests, to be stored in bags and trays that overflowed his office. He was responsible for most of the rainforest plantings in the Botanic Gardens, of which he was immensely proud, but his realm was much wider than that, and spanned the entire Illawarra region. Anders was only too well aware of just how much our environment has been degraded over the past two hundred years, and how immense the task of preserving so many of our endangered plant communities that face the risk of extinction. His office was a gathering place for botany students from across the road at the university because above all, Anders was a teacher, who liked to share his immense botanical knowledge with others. He was always looking for ways to educate more people about the need for environmental action. He would tell people: "What we have lost is a national tragedy, but what's done is done. The question now is how we are going to protect what's left." The loss of Anders Bofeldt will make the task that little bit harder, but he leaves a great legacy. He left forests in his wake and we will cherish him every time we see his trees. We will also remember the enthusiasm and encouragement he shared so readily with others in his quest to raise awareness about the loss of biodiversity. And, of course, there are the seeds. Thousands of them. If seeds represent wealth to be invested in the future, then Anders leaves as his legacy a true cornucopia of riches. Landcare Illawarra's project officer Richard Scarborough, together with helpers from Conservation Volunteers Australia, the Green Corp, and Warrigal Nursery, are gradually working their way through Anders' unique collection, deciphering his handwritten records, photographing and cataloguing the seeds, converting them to tubestock, and making sure they are preserved as a living and growing legacy for a man who dedicated himself to the preservation of the environment. Anders Bofeldt passed away in June this year at the tragically young age of 46.
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Champions of The Catchment ~ Jim and Terry (Landcare and Indigenous Education Award)by LandcareIllawarra63 views
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