Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In 2001 Barbara and Ralph Harris placed nine hectares of their Glenning Valley property under a voluntary conservation agreement, a VCA, with the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. The VCA is in perpetuity on the land title, so it can never be developed and will remain as an environmental conservation of unique Australian bushland.

At the time, the VCA which Barbara and Ralph entered into was the first on the Central Coast and only the hundredth in New South Wales. The land upon which they placed the VCA is outstandingly beautiful Australian gully rainforest and open rainforest. They committed to regenerating the bushland and spent three years gradually eradicating lantana and other weed species. Now the land is so pristine it takes only one day per year to clear and maintain.

They are rightly very proud of what they have achieved and proud to have made a lasting contribution to the preservation of Australian bushland. Not only did they place their own land under a VCA they also worked with their neighbours and Wyong Shire Council to create a nature corridor along the ridge, which is maintained under its own conservation Landcare group. Through the restoration and conservation of the nature corridor there is preservation of flora and fauna.

Barbara and Ralph have welcomed many visitors over the years to their bushland. It has become an example of regeneration and preservation. TAFE groups from Sydney have taken day trips, WIRES has conducted training days and the community environmental networks land for wildlife groups have visited. At times, Barbara and Ralph have posted up to 70 people for the day.

When I visited Barbara and Ralph at Brushwood and took a walk through their magnificent preserved bushland I was impressed at their dedication and passion for seeing the land maintained for future generations. As they pointed out to me, so often we hear about what governments are doing in environmental regeneration and conservation, but private citizens like them deserve equal recognition. There are many people like Barbara and Ralph who are special landowners who voluntarily place a VCA on their land and are committed conservationists. They recognise that the land they hold is special and contains unique native vegetation and wildlife habitats that need to be preserved and protected from any threat of eradication or neglect. It is imperative that governments at all levels continue to support those who have land held under a VCA, to ensure that they can continue the work that they do voluntarily because of their love for our native bushland. I thank Barbara and Ralph Harris for taking me through Brushwood and sharing their passionate love for environmental conversation.

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