Harry Whittington OAM (Posthumous)

Harry preceded and helped build the initial growth of landcare with his deeply heartfelt appeals and efforts to tackle the increasing salinity affecting farmland. In a time when salinity was largely ignored by government, Harry pushed ahead with developing his own solutions. By 1975 he had published his first booklet on a 30-year battle against the spread of salt on the family farm of Springhill, near Brookton.

By the mid 1970s Harry was convinced the approach he developed was effective, and after various visits and field days with other farmers, he was asked by a number of other them to design systems for their properties. Enthusiasm grew rapidly, and by 1978 a meeting attended by over 270 people agreed to establish the WISALTS group (Whittington Interceptor Salt Affected Land Treatment Society). At its height there were 43 WISALTS branches, with hundreds of field days held. The organisation decided to wind-up at its AGM in February 2025 after 5 decades of community science. Part of the reason for winding up was to remove any remnants of the acrimonious tension that existed when implementation of the WISALTS system was in full flight in the 1980s. The WISALTS system should be examined on its merits. The research papers of Harry Whittington and WISALTS are now held in Murdoch University’s special collections, available for ongoing comprehensive research into combating the 21^st century existential environmental crisis of fresh water and healthy soils.

While the Whittington method has never been well accepted officially, Harry’s dedication and energy was a pivotal factor in increasing both community and farmer awareness of salinity and its relentless spread. This awareness, in turn, was a key element in providing the right atmosphere for broader landcare efforts to establish. Additionally, the efforts of WISALTS and its members has been a constant reminder that there were tensions between community led approaches and the views held by researchers and government officers, many considered this to have been a healthy tension.

In 1983 Harry was also instrumental in the establishment of the Land Management Society, which played a prominent role in supporting farmer led science and monitoring well into the 1990s. He also played a prominent role in farming organisations. After holding a number of roles, he was elected Senior Vice president of the Farmers Union (now WAFF) and awarded Honorary Life Membership in 1988.

In 1992, Harry was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his tireless work and contribution to the WA agricultural sector. As then Deputy Premier Hendy Cowan wrote in a 1996 letter to Harry: “Landcare without Harry Whittington would be like the Eagles without Mick Malthouse”

Sadly, Harry passed away in 1999.