When Laurie Macmillan and David Wakefield found their property at Strath Creek, Taungurung Country, it had been degraded by grazing and had little remnant native habitat. Not to be daunted, they set about restoring the land into a wildlife haven.

“They did a lot,” says Susan King, President of the Strath Creek Landcare Group since 2018. “They put into action what they said.”

Years of weeding, tree planting and progressively excluding cattle transformed the 41 ha property, more than half of which Laurie and David protected under a conservation covenant in 2015, ensuring their hard work is protected forever.

Revolving Fund ensures conservation legacy

That would itself be an incredible legacy to leave behind, but Laurie and David also generously decided to bequeath the property to Trust for Nature, and has been sold through the Revolving Fund.

The proceeds will be returned to the fund and used to purchase more land suitable for conservation, creating a continuous cycle of investment. Making such a gift is an incredible, life-giving contribution to protecting nature.

David and Laurie were very active members of the community, serving as President and Secretary of the Strath Creek Landcare and as members of other community environmental groups. Their dedication to conservation extended far beyond their property’s boundaries, surveying wildlife and plants on neighbouring land, cleaning up the local reserve, and restoring habitat.

After the 2009 bushfires, they were involved in the Focus on Fauna project recording how the local environment recovered and putting up nest boxes across the area.

Susan recalls telling David and Laurie that she thought she’d spotted a Sugar Glider in the space above the back door. Laurie checked the scat (aka droppings).

“They said, ‘Yes, that’s a glider, but they haven’t been recorded in the area’. Then after the fires, they put cameras out to monitor wildlife and we discovered they were Sugar Gliders,” Susan says.

Community effort to restore property

Since Laurie and David’s property was bequeathed to Trust for Nature, the organisation has supported Strath Creek Landcare Group to fence, weed and replant trees on the property to complete Laurie and David’s vision before the property is sold.

“I think they intended their property to be a model for other aspiring environmentalists,” says Terry Hubbard, former Strath Creek Landcare Group President. “They were the pair with the most significant impact on Strath Creek. They always had a very strong connection to Landcare, and we’ve achieved great things over the years.”

David and Laurie’s passion for the environment was widely recognised by the Goulburn Broken CMA, the Upper Goulburn Landcare Network and by the Murrindindi Shire Council, where David was a foundation member of the Shire’s Environmental Advisory Committee which developed the Shire’s Environment Policy and Strategy.

In acknowledgement of David’s and Laurie’s contribution to their community, a special garden has been established in the Pioneer Reserve in Strath Creek as a lasting reminder of their passion and commitment to the environment.

Now that legacy will pass on to the next generation of landholders.

Making a bequest in your Will or donating your property to Trust for Nature is an extraordinary gift for nature that makes an enormous contribution to fighting extinction and climate change. If you are considering making such a generous gift, please contact Relationship Manager Neil Venables at neilv@tfn.org.au or 0417 052 861.