Greater Sydney Landcare is thrilled to announce it has partnered with Microsoft to host a series of employee volunteering days to benefit Nurragingy Reserve in 2024. These events, organised in partnership with Blacktown City Council which manages the reserve, will focus on bush regeneration, including weed removal and habitat improvement.
First Volunteering Day: A Great Success
On Friday 24th May 2024, Greater Sydney Landcare hosted the first corporate volunteering day for Microsoft at Nurragingy Reserve, located in Doonside within the Blacktown Local Government Area.
Employees from Microsoft Cloud Operations and Innovation teams participated in this inaugural event, marking the beginning of their four scheduled visits this year.
Nine volunteers from Microsoft joined Greater Sydney Landcare to remove weeds that are competing with natives and rehabilitate areas of Nurragingy Reserve. 
Nine volunteers from Microsoft joined Greater Sydney Landcare to remove weeds that are competing with natives and rehabilitate areas of Nurragingy Reserve. 
Nine volunteers from Microsoft joined Greater Sydney Landcare to remove weeds that are competing with natives and rehabilitate areas of Nurragingy Reserve.
A Beautiful Autumn Morning in Nurragingy Reserve
The day began with a warm welcome from Katrina Brown, Senior Bushland Officer from Blacktown City Council. Katrina shared her passion for the flora and fauna of Nurragingy and its endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland ecological community, inspiring the Microsoft team to engage deeply with their surroundings.
Greater Sydney Landcare is incredibly grateful for Katrina and Blacktown City Council’s ongoing support to help improve the resilience of the Endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland in the Blacktown LGA.
Hard Work and Dedication
The Microsoft team worked diligently throughout the day, removing 20 cubic meters of weeds, including Privet, Paddy’s Lucerne, Balloon Vine, and Bridal Creeper. They cut, pulled, and piled the weeds, making significant progress in improving the habitat.
After a morning of hard work, and enjoying a barbeque lunch, the volunteers had the opportunity to do some birdwatching, spotting Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos and an amazing array of other native birds nearby.
Thank you to the hardworking Microsoft team for removing 20 cubic metres of weeds from Nurragingy Reserve. 
Thank you to the hardworking Microsoft team for removing 20 cubic metres of weeds from Nurragingy Reserve. 
Thank you to the hardworking Microsoft team for removing 20 cubic metres of weeds from Nurragingy Reserve. 
Thank you to the hardworking Microsoft team for removing 20 cubic metres of weeds from Nurragingy Reserve.
Volunteer Feedback
The inaugural first volunteering day was a great success with the Microsoft team enthusiastic about the impact they could see through their hard work.
Participants shared some lovely feedback and positive experiences of the day:
- “Great initiative. Was glad to be part of it. It is also a great team-building activity as often we don’t meet each other due to a hybrid type of work.”
- “It was awesome and the volunteers were fully informed of the risks and safety concerns and learnt a lot about plants and weeds.”
- “I liked the way it was organised and the tools that were provided.”
Corporate volunteering days are a great opportunity to get out of the office (or home office) and share some great experiences with your workmates. 
Corporate volunteering days are a great opportunity to get out of the office (or home office) and share some great experiences with your workmates. 
Corporate volunteering days are a great opportunity to get out of the office (or home office) and share some great experiences with your workmates.
Gratitude and Looking Forward
Matt Keighery from Greater Sydney Landcare, who led the day along with Project Officer Alicia Harb-Akins, found the event particularly rewarding. Matt praised the Microsoft team for their hard work and camaraderie, and expressed excitement for future visits.
The partnership between Microsoft and Greater Sydney Landcare is off to a strong start, with successful efforts in bush regeneration at Nurragingy Reserve. The collaboration promises to bring long-lasting benefits to the local environment and foster a spirit of community and teamwork among volunteers.
A special thanks goes to Blacktown City Council for facilitating the visit and supporting the initiative.
Join Blacktown’s Bushcare Program
If you’d like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Blacktown area, you can volunteer to become a Blacktown City Council Bushcare volunteer, and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.
Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare
Find out more about Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare here. Be sure to download our Corporate Volunteering Info Pack.
