Gib Wettenhall
Chairperson
Gib is a freelance writer with an interest in cultural landscapes and treegrowing. He is the editor of Australian Forest Grower magazine and the treasurer of Ballarat Region Treegrowers. Gib is the publisher of Gariwerd: Reflecting on the Grampians, and author of a series of publications for Aboriginal Affairs Victoria. His latest book is The People of Budj Bim: Engineers of aquaculture, builders of stone house settlements and warriors defending country. He is the publications officer for central Victoria’s 300km long Great Dividing Trail and president of the Mollongghip Community Hall in the rural settlement where he lives. A lawyer and journalist by training, Gib has previously acted as news editor of The Melbourne Times, managed co-operative programs for the Ministry of Housing and was business manager for the Commission for the Future.
Elizabeth Mellick (Beth)
Executive Director
Beth has worked in the environment movement for over 12 years, following undergraduate and postgraduate studies in gender. Her work has involved campaign and project management, project development, media, fundraising, and activism, on issues as broad as transport, climate change, international gender and trade, sustainable aquaculture, sustainable development and natural resource management. Beth lives in Central Victoria with her partner and 3 small children, and is an active member of her local landcare group.
Board of Trustees
Geoff Park
works as a Knowledge Broker with the North Central Catchment Management Authority. His background is in landscape ecology, teaching and community education and he was involved in the establishment of the Victorian Landcare Centre at Creswick (from 1992 to 1998) and in various roles with the North Central CMA since then. He has a long standing interest and involvement with communities working to improve biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes. Geoff currently works as part of small interdisciplinary research team developing and implementing INFFER (Investment Framework for Environmental Resources) www.inffer.org
Bill Weatherly
has a B Sc (Hons) from Monash University in Zoology. He operates a farming property where they try to run it profitably and also achieve environmental improvements. Bill has been involved in various community, health and education organisations, and in several conservation projects and organisations. He is a past member of Council VNPA, former member of Council, past Board member of Trust for Nature, and current Board Member of Beaufort and Skipton Health Service.
Dr Digby Race
enjoys spending time with family and friends enjoying Australia’s rural environment – farmland, forests and native bush, and hearing the life stories of people enthusiastic about their rural community. He also has a professional interest in seeing people achieve ‘sustainable development’, so that our unique rural landscapes endure for future generations. Digby has undertaken a wide range of research and post-graduate teaching relating to the socio-economic and policy implications of environmental management for regional communities – both in Australia and in Asia-Pacific countries. Digby has a PhD from the Australian National University and is a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Land, Water and Society – Charles Sturt University. He lives in north east Victoria where he tries to put some of the theory into practice on a small family farm.
Trish Kevin
has a keen interest in community involvement in landscape restoration. She is a forester who has worked in dryland salinity research with the Centre for land Protection Research and later with the Departments of Natural Resources and Primary Industries in Landcare, revegetation, farm forestry and community education. She currently works with the Department of Sustainability and Environment as a Community Engagement Facilitator.
Adam Wettenhall
majored in economics at Monash University. He has lived in East Tolans (Deniliquin) since 1978, endeavouring to make a living off the farm as well as improving its biodiversity. The farm has won an environmental award from the Conargo Shire in 2004 and is part of an environmental champions program. Adam has been president of school councils, tennis clubs, and football committees and is currently Chair of West Berriquin Irrigators that advise Murray Irrigation on water policy.
Peter Howie
retired after a career spanning 37 years in Information Technology. For most of that career he was involved in the development and implementation of many different and innovative business information systems across a wide range of industries. For several years he managed a very successful mid-sized technology development company. Peter lives in Melbourne. He is also a member of the Finance and Audit committee of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
John Bate
graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Melbourne University and spent 16 years in the gas industry. He then completed an economics degree and went into stockbroking. John served 10 years on the Zoological Board, 10 years on Trust for Nature Board, 9 years on Gippsland Coastal Board, and is currently associated with the Australian Landscape Trust and Strathfieldsaye Estate, which is a property of some 1500 hectares on the north shore of Lake Wellington near Stratford.
