Goulburn Green Army Graduates with 'Honours'
Goulburn Wetlands’ Green Army graduates have praised the programme for giving them the opportunity to learn about the environment and acquire new skills.
Member for Hume Angus Taylor on Friday (November 6) presented certificates to Emery Joseph, Matthew Ferguson, Bradley Moon, James House and Sean Howlett.
“It’s well worth a visit to the Wetlands to inspect the outstanding work of these young men who graduated, in my opinion, with honours,” Mr Taylor said.
“Contracted under the Federal Government’s Green Army Programme, their restoration efforts over the past six months have yielded stunning results and they now have land management skills for life.”
Working under the supervision of Goulburn FROGS Landcare members and team leader Steve Huntley, the team performed a variety of tasks including seed collecting, weed removal, plant identification and local species replanting.
FROGS member Rodney Falconer said despite the tiger snakes, towering blackberry bushes and sub-zero winter mornings, no-one complained.
“They worked their guts out in the worst of conditions but always maintained their enthusiasm and positive attitude. It’s fair to say the experience has changed their lives,” he said.
Graduate James House said he and fellow team members were “glad and grateful” for the Green Army opportunity.
“It was a great pleasure being a participant, learning about different species of plants and weeds. We’ve also learnt about the importance of looking after the environment,” he said.
Friday’s graduation also paid tribute to the work of the late Peter Mowle, a FROGS member and local environmental champion.
FROGS Landcare is working on an application to host a second Green Army team to start in 2016. The Federal Government has committed more than $700 million over four years from July 2015-16 towards Green Army projects.
