In the pre-dawn darkness, a small light bobbed amongst the rows of tubestock at the landcare nursery.
Was it a min-min light, alone and far from its family, sorely in need of an app to direct it home? No, it was just the head-torch of one scruffy nursery manager, gathering some plants for the final touches of another field-day PR outing.
The kookaburras had long since heralded the new day by the time I was on the road. Destination, Tiaro. Leaving behind me the peri-urban sprawl that is home to 98% of Australia’s human population, heading to the 98% of the Australian landmass that gives us all our food, water, timber, minerals, fuels. It felt almost a return to our landcare roots… I wondered how the day would unfold.
I was joined at Tiaro by two vibrant volunteers and collectively we had a very successful day engaging with show visitors, spreading a little bit more of the landcare message. The event was quite well attended, judging by the constant flow of people through our stall. There were also several of our ‘sibling’ groups attending, each delivering their expertise on aspects of Natural Resource Management and conservation.
Was it a return to our landcare roots? Well, there seemed less Akubra hats and Blundstone boots than my first visit, ten years ago. Perhaps that was a measure of changes in the global clothing industry as much as it was a measure of changing demographic. Either way though, change was there. Yet the questions, and our message, remain a constant. Land. Care. Bit by bit!
