Central Australia had outstanding representation at the NT Landcare awards held at Parliament House in Darwin last Friday evening.

Local Landcare hero Tim Collins was recognised for the tireless work he has put in over the years with the NT Landcarer of the Year award. This is a richly deserved gong for all of the time and effort Tim has committed to Alice Springs Landcare, but he was quick to redirect the limelight from himself to the organisation he has spent so many years building up and serving. We don’t care what you say Tim, the award is all yours and well-earned – congratulations.

The Centralian Land Management Association was also recognised with a highly commended award which was accepted by Glenis McBurnie for soil conservation activities and the many other ongoing projects that CLMA conducts throughout The Centre.

..and of course Land for Wildlife brought home our own piece of recognition; we won the Toshiba Community Group category. Jesse, Chris & Bill were all on hand to receive the award, but we think the award is rightly seen as recognition of the conservation efforts of all the members of the Land for Wildlife and Garden for Wildlife programs across central Australia.  The scheme has expanded its membership again this year, and our members’ properties now cover 16,404 hectares of central Australia from Tennant Creek in the north to the Alice Springs Correctional Centre in the south. We are currently in talks with a few large commercial properties that will add to the program considerably, and we have just received funding to extend Land for Wildlife into areas remote from Alice Springs.

So congratulations to all our members! Land for Wildlife is much more than just the sum of its parts, but every individual member is a crucial part of the success of the scheme as a whole.