“This was 2003”
Gillis
Broinowski summarises achievements and challenges at the Foundation’s
35th AGM
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“This was 2003”
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Our mission is to foster the protection of Australia’s native plants, animals and cultural heritage, and we see that as being for our children and grandchildren and the generations to come. In April 2004 the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports "We’re healthier and richer, but the environment suffers", and the report by the Department of Environment and Conservation entitled “Who Cares About the Environment in 2003?”, finds that the general population places environmental issues at the top of the list with health and education. Our native fauna is suffering. The number of animals either extinct or threatened rose by 40% during the past decade. The number of noxious weeds and exotic animals that found their way into the country also increased. We are all proud of our achievements, and we all want to enjoy the lifestyle for which we work so hard. And we hope that our children will follow and do even better in their private and public capacities. If our children are to prosper and enjoy the legacy of a healthy natural environment, we need to continue to influence and enhance our Government’s plans for the conservation of our wildlife and our land, including national parks. GREEN GULLY 2003 was the year of the wallabies – both the Rugby World Cup Wallabies and the endangered Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies of Green Gully. “Go Wallabies” is the Foundation’s major appeal on behalf of the Dunphy Wilderness Fund to purchase Green Gully’s 13,000 hectares of wilderness in northern NSW. Green Gully adjoins the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park in the Macleay Gorges Wilderness area.
The appeal enjoys vast support from media, individuals, not-for-profits
and businesses including Professor Mike Archer, Richard Morecroft, the
Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia, the Colong Foundation for
Wilderness, the Wonderland Conservation Foundation and Australian Geographic,
to name just a few. OTHER PROJECTS 17 Foundation-funded projects were completed in 2003 with funds committed to a further 11 projects in the year. These projects are assessed and chosen by our Projects Committee, chaired by Peter Henchman. You can now keep up-to-date with progress on these projects through our on-line newsletter PAWS, that was introduced in Spring 2003. Our other “PAW mark” in 2003 was the Golden Paw Award for the best drawing of a threatened Australian animal by a NSW primary school student. We first ran this competition in 2002 sponsored by Staedtler Australia. With over 1,000 entries from schools all over the state and award ceremony and exhibition at the Australian Museum, the Foundation successfully raised awareness of the need to conserve our threatened species with both the students, their teachers and their parents. The perpetual trophy, a bronze platypus sculpted and donated by Lady Jean Griffin, was awarded to 12 year old Rachel Kneller of Dyers Crossing. BEQUESTS The Foundation received an extremely generous bequest of $750,000 from the estate of the late Catherine Clare White to buy land for Morton National Park. We have another large legacy from the estate of the late Genevieve Little that is currently in the process of being settled. In 2004 the Foundation will continue its bequest program to include a new information kit and promotions to "create living legacies" under the guidance of David Davis. All of us have already made a commitment to the protection of Australia’s native animals and plants and to our cultural heritage. I hope the Foundation’s past achievements and future endeavours will encourage you and your friends to become even more involved in our cause. You all remain very generous with your time or money or both. You can also help •
By using the Foundation’s
GreenCard MasterCard supplied by the St George bank, |
