Hello Members, Staff, Board and Associate Members,
March has seen the successful launch of the Friends of Willow Park mural. Congratulations to all involved on a fantastic event and the revival of a beautiful piece of community art for everyone to enjoy! You can learn more about Uncle David Dunn’s work and creative process in this lovely video created by Friends of Willow Park here .
A warm welcome to Julia Jones and Louise Leary, our new Coordinator and Co-coordinator of the Clyde Cameron Reserve Group — I look forward to working with you both! I also want to acknowledge Janette Reynoldson, who has stepped down from her role as Coordinator after guiding the group through some challenging times in recent years. Thank you, Janette, for your dedication and commitment. I look forward to still seeing you at the Monday morning working bees!
I am heading off on a month’s leave to coordinate our annual chestnut harvest. I will be returning on 4 May ! I will check emails periodically, so if you need to contact me please send through any urgent matters that need attention. I look forward to catching up with you all on the other side.
Jo
Wodonga Council Update
I recently met with the Council operations team for our quarterly catch-up. As Wodonga continues to grow, with infilling in established areas and significant expansion in Leneva and Baranduda, Council is increasingly stretched to meet the demands of a growing regional centre. This pressure is compounded by the addition of two new Landcare groups last year, bringing welcome momentum but also added demand on Council’s time and resources.
As a result, Council is currently unable to collect green waste or support clean-ups on private property. Landcare groups needing to dispose of green waste should head to the Waste Transfer Station on Kane Road and provide the operator with your vehicle registration, group name, and Council contact to enable free disposal of green waste from your patch.
Council provides a wealth of support for our groups and we are grateful for a strong working relationship that has been developed over many years.
Survey of Volunteer recognition: Your opinion matters!
WULN’s volunteers are the heartbeat of Landcare in our region, and we want to make sure you feel genuinely valued for the incredible work you do. This short, anonymous survey helps us understand what recognition means to you — so we can make sure our appreciation lands in ways that actually count.
There are no right or wrong answers, just your honest experience. It takes around 5–10 minutes and your responses will directly shape how we (WULN, group coordinators and partners) recognise and celebrate volunteers going forward.
Thank you — your feedback is important!
New Futures update
We are thrilled to share that our New Futures Kiewa-Wodonga Landscape Action and Investment Plan is now finalised after a solid 12 months of work!
This milestone has been a long time in the making, and it simply wouldn’t exist without the support of the New Futures landholders and our dedicated working group. We are proud of what we’ve created together and invite you to review the plan. You can access it, along with all the supporting resources, on our dedicated webpage:
On the page you’ll find:
• The Landscape Action and Investment Plan
• YouTube — New Futures Kiewa-Wodonga
• Slide deck from the Investor Briefing (5 February 2026 — PDF)
• Full recording of the investor briefing session
While we are openly celebrating, we acknowledge that this is just the beginning. We have commenced discussions with a number of partners and we are looking forward to providing further updates as we bring New Futures Kiewa-Wodonga to life together.
Let’s talk about Big Weather
This initiative is supported & funded by Youth Affairs Council Victoria, Victoria University, City of Wodonga, Wodonga Urban Landcare Network, Junction Support Services, Resource Smart Schools & Headspace – Albury Wodonga
2026 Membership Renewal Census & VLG Support GRANTS
The Landcare Victoria membership census is complete — thank you to all unincorporated group coordinators for returning your forms on time. Lily coordinated the process and has done a great job getting this across the line.
Lily has also submitted Landcare Support Grant applications on behalf of all unincorporated groups to cover insurance and membership fees for 2027/28, and will arrange payment of fees for 2026/27 in due course.
Albury Conservation Company Blueprint
WULN (Jo) participated in a working group towards the development of a blueprint for balancing urban development and nature within Albury Wodonga. The project was led by the Albury Conservation Company. The resulting document can be viewed as a PDF here and has been added to the Landcare Library page of our website.
Volunteering Victoria Training Opportunities
Special Interest Group: Inclusive Volunteering
27 May 2026
Guest Presenter: Glenys Watts
Topic: Working with First Nations communities: Learnings and Tips for Leaders of Volunteers
Register here – https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/inclusive-volunteering-sig/
Special Interest Group: Leadership in Volunteering
Tuesday 23 June 2026
Guest Presenter: Lisa Accadia (Brotherhood of St Laurence)
Topic: Collaborating with volunteers for greater impact
Register here – https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/inclusive-volunteering-sig/
Upcoming Training
Targeted Recruitment and Engaging Young People
25 March
Facilitator: Volunteering Victoria
Register here – https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/professional-development/targeted-recruitment-and-engaging-young-people/
Understanding Your Audience
26 March
Facilitator: Brett de Hoedt (Hootville Communications)
Register here – https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/professional-development/understanding-your-audience/
Navigating Professional Boundaries
21 April
Facilitator: Hazel Maynard (Volunteering Victoria)
Register here – https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/professional-development/navigating-professional-boundaries/
Coaching Volunteers Through Organisational Change
22 April
Facilitator: Hazel Maynard (Volunteering Victoria)
Register here – https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/professional-development/coaching-volunteers-through-organisational-change/
Meaningful & Able: Inclusive Recruitment Through Co-Design
23 April
Facilitator: Anya Richards
Register here – https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/professional-development/meaningful-able-inclusive-recruitment-through-co-design/