SA picked up 3 Awards out of nine categories at the National Landcare Awards that were presented at an Awards Gala Dinner on Thursday 11 October at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre!  A fantastic result!  Congratulations to:

Woolworths Junior Landcare Team Award Winner, Mount Compass Area School Swamp Ambassadors receive their award from Woolworth’s Queensland general manager Matthew Franich (left); Sure Gro Treemax Coastcare Winner Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group Inc, represented by Richard Owen and Jo McPhee (centre); Fairfax Media Landcare Community Group Winner, Birdlife Australia Gluepot Reserve, represented by Duncan McKenzie (right).

The National Landcare Awards  celebrate the achievements of Landcare volunteers around the country  who dedicate their valuable time and energy into caring for the land and water that sustain us. This year 65 outstanding Landcare champions, across nine categories, made up the 2018 National Landcare Awards finalists.

Around 600 Landcarers came together to celebrate the successes of the inspiring finalists at the awards dinner. SA was well represented with a finalist from every category attending the event and a strong contingent of SA Landcarers in the audience to cheer them on!

We congratulate all the finalists from SA and the other states and territories on being recognised as Landcare champions at the National level for their outstanding efforts and commitment to Landcare.

Grace Bassett of Mt Compass Area School was the SA finalist in the Austcover Young Landcare Leader Award. While that award was won by Kathleen Brack from Victoria, Grace was also at the awards as a member of the Mount Compass Area School Swamp Ambassadors which won the Woolworths Junior Landcare Team Award. It was fantastic to see how delighted they were to win, a delight that was equally shared by the families and staff that were there to support them (right).

The finalists from SA that were competing for the 2018 National Landcare Awards were the winners of the SA Landcare Awards held in 2017 are listed below – click the links to read their stories;

• Sure Gro Coastcare Award: Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group
• Fairfax Landcare Community Group Award: Birdlife Australia Gluepot Reserve
• Junior Landcare Team Award: Mount Compass Area School Swamp Ambassadors
• Rio Tinto Indigenous Land Management Award: Isobelle Campbell, Mannum Aboriginal Community Association
• Austcover Young Landcare Leader Award: Grace Bassett of Mt Compass.
• Australian Government Individual Landcarer Award: Peter Watton
• Australian Government Partnerships for Landcare Award: Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Association
• Australian Government Excellence in Sustainable Farm Practices Award: Barossa Improved Grazing Group
• Australian Government Innovation in Agriculture Land Management Award: Tom Robinson, Anashka Farms, Hoyleton

To see all the winners of the 2018 National Landcare Awards and all the finalists from each State and Territory  click here