Jill Richardson

Jill and her husband moved to Katanning as “urban refugees” and became involved in landcare initiatives in the Katanning region over 30 years ago. As a passionate advocate for the importance of maintaining diversity and sustainable natural environments to ensure long-term agricultural productivity Jill involved herself in the landcare movement; first as a volunteer and then as an employee of the Katanning Land Conservation Committee, managing the Landcare Centre through the highs and lows of Landcare.

Jill spent 25 years dedicated to furthering Landcare in Western Australia. As a Member of the Katanning Land Conservation District Committee and leading significant on-ground environmental works and behavioural change in sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation. Jill was also a member of the then Blackwood Basin Group and the then South West Catchments Council.

Jill’s role as a connector, mentor, devil’s advocate, do-er, friend and “Landcare Mum” for large networks of natural resource management people cannot be underestimated.  She was passionate about community-driven Landcare, sitting as a member of the National Landcare Network for 5 years. As a volunteer, Jill drove the formation of the WA Landcare Network and served as the inaugural Chairperson.

In 2016 Jill was awarded the Australian Government Facilitator/Coordinator Award at the National Landcare Awards, and their property was published as a case study in Bill Bunbury’s book Invisible Country. The same year Jill and her husband Adrian were nominated for the 2016 Great Southern Development Commission Medal for their commitment to natural resource management on their land and the educative role they play in the district.

When the Richardson’s bought their farm 40 years ago there was very little native vegetation, 30 percent of the property was waterlogged, salt-affected, or bare salt scald. After initial saltbush seeding and small revegetation plots, they began implementing a landscape-scale water harvesting and revegetation plan which has changed the environmental conditions on the property. Approximately 120,000 have
been planted on 12 to 15 of the farmland, giving increased agricultural productivity from sheep flocks.

Establishment of plots timber and broombush species has already provided a financial return and will continue to do so in the future, with biodiversity habitat and shelter along the way.

Jill and Adrian have continued to share their knowledge and passion for the natural environment through the LCDC, farm tours, conferences, and roles in State and National Landcare, encouraging others to build skills and act to make better land management decisions. Their most recent visitors were an urban ecological design class from Notre Dame University, and a Farm Forestry group.