Celebrating 40 Years of Landcare in Euroa
On Friday night, the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GBCMA) marked a special milestone: 40 years of Landcare. Landcare networks from right across the catchment came together in Euroa to celebrate everything that has been achieved over four decades of caring for country.
Four decades of community action
Landcare began here in Victoria in 1986, thanks to an initiative of Joan Kirner, then Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands, and Heather Mitchell, a former President of the Victorian Farmers Federation. With the backing of farmers, local communities and government officers, they launched Landcare in a small central Victorian town. Within a few years it had grown into a national movement, and today it's a part of life in rural communities all over Australia.
Forty years on, the idea at its heart hasn't changed. Neighbours work together, look after the land they live on, and leave it in better shape for those who come next.
A night to catch up and look back
Up2Us staff Kim and Rhiannon went along with their children, and it was great to see the next generation of Landcarers joining in. They were joined by Up2Us network president and Delatite Landcare member John Gilson and his wife Trish.
The evening brought together Landcare members past and present. There was plenty of catching up, swapping of stories and celebrating of wins, along with some practical problem-solving about the challenges groups are facing now. Nights like this are a reminder that Landcare is about people as much as projects, and the friendships and shared knowledge built over 40 years are among its greatest strengths.
This land needs our help
For some groups, the celebration carried extra weight. Several Landcare groups were hit hard by the fires in December and January, and they spoke about what it means to be rebuilding now.
They reflected on the message Joan Kirner brought when she visited the region in Landcare's early days: that this land needs our help. Those words started a movement 40 years ago, and after the devastating fires they ring just as true today. Once again, the land needs our help.
That's what Landcare has always done best: communities rolling up their sleeves together when the land needs them most. The recovery ahead will take time, but the spirit on show in Euroa on Friday night shows that our Landcare community is ready for it.
Here's to the next 40 years
A big thank you to the GBCMA for hosting such a memorable night, and to every Landcarer, past and present, who has given their time, energy and heart to the land over the last four decades. Here's to the next 40.
