Looking back and looking forward!

Published 9th December 2022. Written by Maddison O’Brien

On Sunday, the 27^th of November, Watershed Landcare celebrated 2022 and held its Annual General Meeting! Thank you to all our passionate volunteers, coordinators and members for their involvement this year. It was exciting to see four new committee members step up to take leadership roles. Congratulations and a warm welcome to Ned Armstrong, Rebecca Nielsen, Cheryl Nielsen and Anne Sedgers. Watershed Landcare is privileged to have you on the team, and we look forward to getting your valued input in 2023. The AGM was a fantastic morning! It was a chance to reflect on what we have achieved.

Members enjoying a delightful morning tea at the AGM celebration

New committee members Cheryl Nielsen (left) and Ned Armstrong (right)

This year we celebrated the festival of Green Day for the 14th year, which proved to be quite the show stopper with Costa Georgiadis coming to Mudgee as so much more than a keynote speaker. Costa breathed life into the theme, ‘Grow your Own Way’, inspiring kids, teachers and adults alike. There were a few different events as a part of Green Day this year; there was Green Day, the Teacher Professional Development Day, local School Visits and the brand new event ‘Green Day for Grown Ups’, which proved to be extremely popular. The festival was a great success, with over 600 kids coming and many more positively impacted by the messages of sustainability and environmental innovation.

Looking back on the amazing two days we had at the Mudgee Small Farm Field Days! Our Watershed Nursery sold over 1,000 plants and had a stunning display of native beauties for the garden and an excellent selection for the farm. The Mudgee Bee Group were out in force selling their glorious honey, which sold out quickly! Our Landcare Learnings talk series was a hit, with the likes of Col Seis and Dry Creek Farm sharing their inspiring stories and local knowledge. What a great highlight for the year! Thank you to all the dedicated volunteers who stepped up on the day to make it one of our best yet!

Our members enjoyed some mind-expanding opportunities this year! From attending the Conservation in Action Conference and The National Landcare Conference to completing a Natural Sequence Farming course and gaining a certificate in welding! Through the REGENERATE Series, members had the chance to attend a Permaculture training day, RCS Soil Health workshop and a Swale Building Workshop. Mycology in May offered some outstanding Fungi ID training, and the list goes on… There are plenty of perks for our members throughout the year. We’re all about providing opportunities for our community to grow, learn and continue making positive changes in the local environment.

We’re excited for what 2023 will bring and what we can achieve. If you would like to be the first to know about the unique opportunities offered in 2023, consider signing up as a member today. Go to watershedlandcare.com.au/about/join for more info.