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Mount Compass Area School Swamp Ambassadors Win National Junior Landcare Team Award
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Mount Compass Area School’s Swamp Ambassadors received the Woolworths Junior Landcare Team Award last night at the 2018 National Landcare Awards which were held at the Brisbane Conference & Exhibition Centre.

The award recognises the work of a youth organisation or young Landcare team that contributes to raising awareness, knowledge and understanding of Landcare amongst young people and implements Landcare practices on its own property or within the local community.

Grace Bassett, Year 12 school captain and Swamp Ambassador, was very excited to accept the award from Matthew Franich, General Manager Queensland Woolworth’s Group along with several fellow Swamp Ambassadors who also attended the presentation.

Mount Compass Area School’s Swamp Ambassadors were one of seven finalists for this national award. The Ambassadors are a student-led environmental program where students are the custodians of the school’s critically endangered Fleurieu swamp. As custodians, the students work to increase the awareness and value of Fleurieu swamps in the local community.

The students worked hard to change the perception of the swamps, through partnerships with Fleurieu Swamps Recovery Program and undertook leadership and guide training to effectively share their knowledge and promote the importance of Fleurieu swamps in an engaging way.

Prior to the program, the swamp was seen as unvalued land area that wasn’t used, understood or promoted in any way.

“The students’ passion and commitment to the school’s swamp is epitomised by their willingness to give up their weekends and afternoons to take community groups on visits to the area,” said Jessica Sullivan a staff leader for the Mount Compass Area School Swamp Ambassadors.

Landcare Australia CEO, Dr Shane Norrish, commended the National Landcare winners on their outstanding achievements.

“It’s an honour to be able to recognise the great work being carried out by our Landcare champions,” Shane says. “The national Landcare awards offers landcarers the ideal opportunity to get together and celebrate the individual and collective achievements of the community. Landcarers across Australia deserve to be acknowledged and praised”.

Winners across nine diverse categories from sustainable farm practices to Junior Landcare, were announced at the National Awards gala dinner last night, which was emceed by ABC Landline host, Pip Courtney.

The National Landcare Awards are part of this year’s three-day National Landcare Conference, which finishes today, 12 October 2018. The conference provides the Landcare community an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments and share knowledge. For more information on the National Conference and Awards go to
nationallandcareconference.org.au.

All finalists case studies and photos by category are available at nationallandcareconference.org.au/awards.
The National Landcare Awards is delivered by Landcare Australia and the National Landcare Network in partnership with the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

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