Parklands partnerships: everyone a winner

Riverina Institute of TAFE's Rob Fenton (right) and Acting Head of Campus Rob Logan (left) at TAFE's School of Enviromental Science, Thurgoona, talking partnerships with Parklands Chairman Ron Dennis

Riverina Institute of TAFE began working with parklands Albury-Wodonga in 1998. Others have since joined in to help develop projects across the parklands. TAFE's Head of Department, Primary Industry and Natural Resources

parklands and the Riverina Institute of TAFE (RIT) joined forces in 1998. That was when the staff at RIT's National Environment Centre, Thurgoona, began project management of the Natural Heritage Trust-funded revegetation corridor on Eight Mile Creek catchment, north of Thurgoona.

The original concept was that RIT project manage the fencing and revegetation of a large slice of regional parkland.

TAFE students doing natural resource management, bushland regeneration, landcare and environmental studies would gain valuable practical and managerial experience in real-life projects.

It was a good idea and had the potential for real benefits to staff and students of the National Environment Centre and to parklands. Then the snowball really started to roll.

Regional Skills Inc joined the team with a Work for the Dole Program with participants involved in on-the-ground work, RIT project managing and providing on-the-job training and parklands overseeing the whole show. The partnership extended further when Australian Trust For Conservation Volunteers (ATCV) funded a Green Corps team sponsored and trained by RIT.

This team began working on the Eight Mile Creek project in the spring of 1999. ATCV was now involved in the ever-growing partnership.

The Albury Lands Protection Board and Greening Australia jumped aboard when they helped fence part of the regionally significant Bells Reserve to make it part of the Eight Mile Creek Corridor.

Regional Skills acted as workforce; RIT as managers and trainers.

Then Green Corps began development of a small group of local people living close to the creek corridor - and Friends of Woolshed Creek was born.

This group of enthusiasts has had input into the long-term planning of this new parkland. parklands partnerships are bringing benefits to all the partners