Management Committee

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 PRESIDENT, Alex Van Beek

Charged with providing leadership and direction to the committee, the President is responsible for ensuring that the committee fulfills its responsibilities for governance and success. The President is generally the spokesperson and should work to maintain key relationships within and outside the committee.
Contact Details:
Address: 5 Groves Road
Araluen, QLD. 4570
Mobile: ‭+61 (0) 407 773 171‬‬‬‬‬‬
Email: president@gympielandcare.org.au

It’s taken 50 years, a chequered career path and 2 degrees (social geography and psychology) to finally find my calling as a social systems researcher. With that aim, I am now at the tail end of a doctorate focussed on how collaborative community-based research can create social change. It may sound boring, but it’s not!
We all know our natural environment with the incredible life it holds, is in serious jeopardy. It is now that we need as many people as possible working together to turn this around. I believe that there are certain principles that can help this along. These include being strengths and solutions focussed; valuing diversity and collective creativity; and sharing decision-making and resources. While it can take a while to get it moving, the ability of collective action, based on inclusive, empowering and positive relationships, can do amazing things.
At a personal level, my sister and I own 30 acres at Calico Creek. Our aim is to rehabilitate our land back into wildlife habitat while still maintaining space for our 4 spoilt horses and 3 gorgeous little cows.

SECRETARY, Mel Marx

The Secretary is responsible for the documentation and communication of the activities of the committee. The secretary is the primary administration and legal officer of the committee and provides the links between the committee, members and outside agencies.
Contact Details:
Address: 5 Groves Road
Araluen, QLD. 4570
Mobile: ‭‭+61 (0) 408 954 847‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
Email: secretary@gympielandcare.org.au

From a young age I always felt most alive when I was out in the bush or simply gardening with mum. Mum taught me most of what I know about caring for the soil, nurturing wildlife and growing things.
Watching how we are destroying our land at an alarming rate meant I needed to stop talking and do something. So we bought a 40-hectare farm in Wolvi to start restoring our own piece of land. I believe that caring for the earth starts with an individual. The more individuals that do that will eventually bring a tipping point of earth restoration.
I joined Gympie Land Care to learn how to make a difference, particularly using native plants and sustainable land management practices. Being invited to join the management committee is an unexpected privilege where I hope to use my experience in organisation effectiveness to assist the organisation to get more focused and organised so that we can support those individuals who are going to give us the restoration tipping point.

TREASURER, Liz Stewart

The Treasurer is responsible for the financial supervision of the organisation to allow the committee to provide good governance.
The Treasurer is the chief financial officer whose tasks include oversight of the preparation of annual budgets, planning for the organisations financial future and monitoring the organisations revenue and expenditure. It is desirable that the treasurer is well organised and possesses a level of financial expertise.
Contact Details:
Address: 5 Groves Road
Araluen, QLD. 4570
Mobile: ‭+61 (0) 419 425 557‬‬‬
Email: treasurer@gympielandcare.org.au

My husband Peter and I moved into the Mary Valley region in 2020 having lived in many locations around Australia as well as Asia, Europe, and USA.
I am inspired by the outdoors and how we as custodians look after this great land.
I am often referred to as a ‘Change Junkie’ as I am always seeking to improve everything in and around me and certainly never standing still!

COMMITTEE MEMBER, Sandi Cohen

The purpose of this position is to bring additional and desired skills to the Management Committee.

Contact Details:
Address: 5 Groves Road
Araluen, QLD. 4570
Mobile: ‭‭‭+61 (0) 403 266 344‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
Email: committee-member1@gympielandcare.org.au

I have always had a sense of adventure, fun, a love of nature and the natural world, and a passion for growing and providing people with clean nutritious food and promoting healthy, happy lifestyles.

My husband David and I were certified organic from 2000 until 2022 operating a commercial intensive horticulture farm supplying quality food to Australia and at times overseas.
Having now sold the farm I still have a passion for developing local sustainable clean food and supporting farmers and landholders to manage our environment and ecosystems, to ensure the profits we make from farming is not at the expense of the planet.

I always have held a strong belief in Landcare, and I am keen to contribute from my business, farming and community experience.  I have also spent many years working in the government and private sectors as a Local Area Coordinator and have benefitted from extensive training in building sustainable and inclusive communities

  PAST PRESIDENT, Maree Gillott 

The Past President is the Committee member charged with assisting the incoming President to move into the role seamlessly, providing advice and guidance with the benefit of prior experience in the role. It is important for the ensuring the transfer of the skills and knowledge that are necessary to run and organisation of this size.

Contact Details:
Address: 5 Groves Road
Araluen, QLD.  4570
Mobile:  +61 (0) 408 765 847
Email:    president@gympielandcare.org.au

After 31 years of running my own legal practice in Logan, together with other business interests, my husband David and I moved to Wolvi in 2018.  We  were lucky enough to find our way to a well-watered cattle property in the foothills of Mt Wolvi which will be keeping us well occupied in our “non-retirement”.  At last, I have both the means, and the opportunity to put all the theories I have accumulated from the permaculture/ sustainable agriculture reference books sitting on my shelves and apply them to our new place. The aim is simple- I am just looking to leave our small patch of the world in better shape than we found it.

Being able to contribute to Landcare will hopefully allow me to help spread the seeds of change even further. Becoming a part of Landcare will hopefully allow me to help spread the seeds of change even further.