Summer is off to a warm start with recent high temperatures giving those of us on the east and west coast of Australia a taste of things to come. Things are also heating up for Mulloon Institute with major grant wins and an important partnership with WaterNSW and The Ian Potter Foundation, delivering unprecedented success and growth.
The end of this year has been a time of reflection and gratitude. The efforts and determination of our hardworking team have been rewarded. Highlights include:
- successful completion of our national Communities of Practice Project funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
- a formal two-year partnership with state-owned corporation WaterNSW supporting the Water Stewardship Program, along with support from The Ian Potter Foundation (pictured at right with Stuart Naylor from WaterNSW launching The Regenerative Power of Water)
- co-design of the First Nations Water Stewardship Skills Certificate Program funded by the Australian Government’s ‘Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) Climate Smart Agriculture Program.
- development of LiFT, the Landscape Function Monitoring Toolkit funded under the (DAFF) Climate Smart Agriculture Program.
- early planning for TIMME, (Training, Implementation, Mentoring, Monitoring and Evaluation) – six catchment scale projects across Australia, funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
This is also a time to welcome new members of our executive team, Glen Norris, General Manager and Jeanette Rawlings as Chief Financial Officer. They join Matt Smith, Project Engagement and Delivery Manager, with myself and Executive Landscape Planner Nolani MColl to round out the executive team.
Kathy Kelly has finished up as Executive Director, Company Secretary and CFO. Kathy has accepted the offer to be the inaugural chair of the Mulloon Farm Advisory Committee and will spend the coming months consulting on the terms of reference for that committee.
Dr Emma Carmody has accepted the offer to chair the newly reformed Mulloon Law Advisory Committee. Emma’s depth of experience across water law and policy has been invaluable in progressing Ministerial awareness of the issues we face in NSW, and I very much look forward to working with Emma on much-needed regulatory reform.
Mulloon Institute is naturally outcomes-focused and is set to deliver increasing areas of landscape rehydration and restoration across Australia in the coming years. Underpinning our success is collaboration with key stakeholders in the regenerative agriculture sector.
Our founders, Tony and Toni Coote and our late chairman, The Hon. Gary Nairn AO, have left a remarkable legacy. It has been our task to take that legacy, generate an overarching strategic plan, win and secure the required funding and then deliver against that plan.
Our members have made it clear they support our work. The evolution of our board via an open public recruitment process to be an experienced, skills-based board will further support scaling of the Institute and our important work.
Grant and sponsorship funding now provides the means for us to take the generous legacy left to us and deliver against the vision to repair, restore and rehydrate Australian landscapes.
Thank you
This work is all made possible by the energy and commitment of a fantastic team, and I am grateful to each and every one of them for their continued support and hard work.
Special thanks must go to Jono Forrest, who finished up as General Manager of Mulloon Consulting in August this year. Also, a fond farewell to Max Brunswick, a foundational member of the Science and on-ground team – thank you.
A special mention to Peter Hazell, who, after over 20 years of service to Mulloon Institute, retired from his role as Principal Landscape Planner to concentrate on the restoration work required on his own properties. Peter’s dedication to Mulloon and his leadership in all facets of promoting landscape rehydration and restoration are legendary. Mulloon will be forever grateful.
A fond farewell also to Jim Steele, General Manager of Mulloon Creek Natural Farms. Jim has delivered a modern, profitable egg enterprise that is the beating heart of our farming operation. He departs Mulloon Creek Natural Farms, having left nothing to chance and providing us with a strong future growth outlook.
In 2025, I stepped down as a Board Director of Mulloon Institute, a role I took on at the request of our late Chairman, The Hon. Gary Nairn AO, in 2020. I thank my fellow Board Directors, it has been an honour to foster the Institute through this period of growth and change.
Thank you to you, our loyal supporters for your ongoing interest. 2026 promises to be a year of action and expansion for Mulloon Institute, and we are so excited about what lies ahead.
Carolyn
(All photos: NVIRO Media)
