Mark Bachmann wins the 2016 Jill Hudson Award for Environmental Protection in SA

To say last week was a bit of a whirlwind would be a serious understatement!

After attending an excellent, highly informative philanthropy workshop hosted by the AEGN (Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network) in Melbourne on Wednesday – as part of the annual Private Land Conservation Conference (hosted by the ALCA) – I had to make a dash back to Adelaide on Thursday to attend the Conservation Council of SA‘s end of year celebration and awards night. I’d received a call earlier in the week from Gabrielle, the CCSA’s awards coordinator, insisting that I really should be there… so I thought I’d better not argue!

And what it a great evening it was – among friends and colleagues from different times throughout my entire journey in the environmental sector over the past 20 years.

To be named as the winner of this award, after being recommended by Associate Professor David Paton (University of Adelaide and co-Director of BioR), someone I have long admired and respected for his passion, energy and commitment to the environment in SA, is an incredible honour.

2016 Jill Hudson Award Certificate

The award was in recognition of my personal and professional efforts for nature conservation and wetland restoration over the past two decades in the South East of SA, culminating with the recent purchase and restoration of Mt Burr Swamp.

Thanks to the CCSA for hosting a wonderful evening with a great atmosphere and sense of shared celebration, and also to the lady (whose name I didn’t catch) who introduced herself afterwards as a friend of Jill Hudson for her kind words and telling me about Jill, who sounded like a wonderful person. It made me feel extra proud to receive the award named in her memory.

Nadia McLaren – President of the Conservation Council of SA, presents Mark Bachmann with the 2016 Jill Hudson Award for Environmental Protection in SA

An early start on Friday (4:30 am to get the early flight to Melbourne!) got me back to the Private Land Conservation Conference just in time to give a presentation on the benefits of wetland restoration for threatened species to a really engaged audience – as subsequent conversations after the session proved.

What a surreal few days!

Past winners of the CCSA – Jill Hudson Award for Environmental Protection