During March 2016, Southern New England Landcare has welcomed Mr Charlie Carruthers to their team of dedicated staff. Charlie comes to Landcare with an Applied Science degree and 15 years’ experience in natural resource management.
Southern New England Landcare’s Executive Officer, Mrs Karen Zirkler, said, “The breadth and depth of Charlie’s professional experience will enable him to successfully undertake the position of Landcare Coordinator very competently, and we are all looking forward to having him on board.”
“Mr Carruthers has worked for both State Government departments on large scale projects, and as an independent consultant,” she said.
“I have delivered several aquatic habitat planning and rehabilitation projects, a highlight of which were two years as the Native Fish Strategy Coordinator for southern NSW and the ACT,” said Mr Carruthers.
“I have also undertaken soil mapping, classification and research, and coordinated Australia’s largest River Rehabilitation program across Southern NSW,” he said.
“My work has enabled me to develop a comprehensive understanding of the natural resource management framework in NSW, and I believe my experience in engaging communities, coupled with a sound understanding of key sustainable agriculture issues in the Southern New England will certainly help me deliver on the key objectives of the position,” he said.
Charlie will focus on assisting rural groups in the Southern New England to achieve their goals over the next three years, and begins work on Tuesday 8th March 2016.
He is employed under the Local Landcare Coordinators Initiative, which is funded by the NSW Government, and supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW.
The NSW Government has provided $15 million over four years to renew the government-community relationship and unlock the full potential of the thousands of volunteers in the Landcare network.
It is a new commitment to support regional Landcare Networks and local groups and will not be allocated for on-ground works, but instead, engage Landcare Coordinators, like Charlie Carruthers, to assist the community.
The program reflects the sentiment of the Memorandum of Understanding between Local Land Services and Landcare NSW. It has been designed to put Landcare on a more sustainable funding footing, with the majority of the funds going to community-based local coordinator positions.