John Collett (Posthumous)

John established and ran the Alcoa Landcare Program – which was a brilliant example of effective landcare support. His innovative approaches to bringing people together to develop ambitious programs and then providing critical support for implementation was critical to achieving significant environmental and community benefit.

The program he led also carried the landcare story to a significant range of communities, including through initiatives such as the Tammin Landcare Education Centre, the Avon Ascent Program and Alcoa Frog Watch and its support for the establishment of Millennium Kids, which still operates.

John was a deep thinker who drilled deep into the how and why of every step the program took. His work establishing the Rivers, Wetlands and Habitats Program in the Peel-Harvey catchment, not only benefited groups but demonstrated how to achieve quick and efficient delivery of grant funding to build stronger relations between groups, rather than competitive behaviour. This became the Alcoa Region Landcare Project on the Swan Coastal Plain.

John also helped establish successful corporate sponsorship models with organisations such as Greening Australia. He went onto become Chair of the Peel Development Commission and was highly respected for his positive and solutions-focused approach to projects and issues. He had a knack for connecting corporate organisations, governments, community groups and individuals to form strategic partnerships that would benefit local people and the environment.

Sadly, John passed away in 2016.