Twenty young people gathered at Wooglemai Environmental Education Centre on Friday 8th December for an Intrepid Landcare Leadership Retreat in South West Sydney. The retreat lasted all weekend and aimed to empower young adults aged between 16 and 35, interested in making a difference and restoring their local natural environment. The retreat was organised by Greater Sydney Landcare Network in collaboration with Intrepid Landcare. Intrepid’s co-founders Megan Rowlatt and Naomi Edwards facilitated the event.
On Friday evening the participants were joined by Mitchell Clark, the Environmental Project Manager from Campbelltown Council, who talked about the local koala population and the value of the bushland in Campbelltown.
On Saturday the participants got a taste tester of Landcare in their local area including a presentation on local Aboriginal culture and history by David King from Garguree Swamp Care and a demonstration on seed collection from Miriam Dillenskerra, a local bush regenerator. They also participated in a bush survival skills workshop led by Wildcraft.
On Sunday the young people went through leadership and personal development activities. In the afternoon they were joined by five local legends who either work or volunteer in the South West. Along with the local legends, they went through a project planning workshop where they developed the idea for a festival to raise awareness about endangered ecological communities on the Cumberland Plain. Since the retreat, the participants have put the wheels in motion to make the festival happen and form a local South West Sydney Intrepid Landcare group.
Thanks so much Intrepid Landcare, Greater Sydney Local Land Services, and everyone else who was involved in making the retreat possible!
For more information and to get involved with upcoming retreats, please contact the Greater Sydney Local Landcare Coordinator Elisha Duxbury elisha.duxbury@greatersydneylandcare.org or 02 4724 2147.
