Gondwana Link chief honoured

An Albany resident was recognised nationally on Australia Day for his work in helping lead an initiative that has instigated environmental change in other States and countries.

Gondwana Link chief executive Keith Bradby was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to conservation and the environment.

Mr Bradby grew up in Ballarat, Victoria and moved to WA in 1976 to set up a beekeeping business in Ravensthorpe.

“As soon as I hit the heath, the woodlands of the South West, I was just staggered — I still am — it’s incredible country,” he said.

“As a beekeeper you learn a lot about the bush and in the late 70s, early 80s when Government wanted to open up a lot more country to farming, that’s when I got activated.”

This interest led to involvement with the local community, national park and biosphere groups and local economic development, before Mr Bradby was snatched up to work in Perth for a few years.

While in Perth he was involved in Government policy development to protect native vegetation and reduce salinity, was a consultant to WA ministers for agriculture and economic development and trade and was the Government Peel-Harvey Catchment Program co-ordinator.

“(It’s about) working out how we make our living and live and work in a healthy environment, it’s not about locking up national parks,” he said.

“Thirty years ago you couldn’t dream, when it was all being knocked down, that we would move into a phase of restoring the ecosystems.”

Mr Bradby helped found Gondwana Link in 2002, a project that aims to connect remnant bushland and restore degraded farmland to create a continuous arc of bushland more than 1000km long across the South West.

“I think the biggest achievement I’ve been part of is that we’ve stopped knocking over big bits of bush in the South West and are now actively restoring landscapes on a large scale and there are a huge number of groups and individuals who are a part of that,” he said.

“We have a world-recognised initiative in Gondwana Link that has led change in a number of other States and countries and has come out of WA, which is something West Australians should be proud of.”

Over the years, Mr Bradby has been involved in the WA Soil and Land Conservation Council and the WA Landcare Trust, is a Fitzgerald National Park Association foundation member, has been involved in establishing the Fitzgerald Biosphere Project and has co-written and narrated documentary A Million Acres a Year.

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