Qualifications: 

• The Diploma of Conservation and Land Management, – Swinburne.
• Certificate of Agriculture with Fruit, Hadlow UK

Employment:  

Retired, Last role Ranger in Charge, Parks Victoria, Wangaratta

Expertise for ESAP: 

• 27 Years of public land management both dry land and wetland environments, the management of re-vegetation, pest plant and animal control programs and wildlife monitoring.
• Fire management Included:  The Implementation of Wildfire Control and fuel reduction programs and planning an implementation of Ecological burning programs in local Native Grasslands.
• Community Engagement:  Extensive experience working with Public Land Neighbours, recreationalists, interest groups, volunteers and Government agencies.

Winton Wetlands:

I was involved with Winton Wetland initially as part of a multi department team charged with providing advice on requirements for the future re-establishment of the wetlands prior to decommissioning of Lake Mokoan.  Later I participated as a volunteer assisting with monitoring wildlife and vegetation programs and   providing community educational activities. I was an inaugural member of Friends of Winton Wetland and active executive member until 2021.  I joined ESAP as a Community representative in February 2020

My Background

I grew up in England on a farm in Kent, my family treated the environment plants and wildlife as an integral part of  family life, the doings of Wildlife part of the dinner time conversation. On leaving School I worked on a neighboring farm before attending Hadlow Agricultural College .

In 1969 my wife and I emigrated to Australia working on the development of a Grazing property in the Wallum near Noosa for two years before becoming a contractor building rural structures around the Sunshine Coast and then around Victoria and SW New South Wales.  1983 I joined the then National Parks on the edge of the Big Desert Service as Ranger in Charge of Lake Albacutya Regional Park.  At that time Lake Albacutya, one of the terminal lakes of the Wimmera River was in its final drying phase and has now been dry for forty years.

The remainder of my career I was responsible for the operational delivery of land management in the Mallee and North East Victoria in a range of disciplines Parks, reserves and State forest. My area of responsibility in north East Victoria included management of Box Iron Bark woodlands, Granitic Hills Woodlands, River Red Gum Forest and a range of small to medium sized wetlands. One of my final actions was involvement in the creation and establishment of the Warby Ovens National Park.  While Ranger in Charge at Wangaratta I was responsible for the Field implementation of a Four Year study of Carpet Pythons in The Warby Range and Chesney Vale Hills.  The project required radio tracking of Seventeen Pythons to determine habitat requirements, territory Range and diet.

IN 1998 I purchase and covenanted a 96 ha property of Foothills forest and native grassland.  I manage the property that hosts several significant species including Golden Sun-moths.