Dionne Walsh, ARS President.  Email: dionne@rangeiq.com.au

 

Welcome to the latest edition of the Range Management Newsletter.

Sadly, we have recently lost two remarkable men of the Australian rangelands in Paul Erkelenz and Joe Rolfe. Both were trusted sources of sound, evidence-based advice in the areas of pastoral business management and natural resource management. They were generous with their time and expertise and this generosity lives on in all the young (and not so young!) professionals that they mentored over their careers. Vale Paul and Joe.

My term on Council will come to an end at the AGM in May, so this will be my last President’s column. It has been a privilege to serve as a Council member for the past eight years, and as the President for the past two years. In the past year, Council has updated the Society’s branding, awarded its inaugural “Award of Excellence in Rangeland Management” medal, and introduced new initiatives to streamline membership renewals and improve the cost-effectiveness of producing the Rangeland Journal. An updated strategic plan provides plenty of scope to ensure the Society thrives into the future.

There is a number of exciting rangelands events to look forward to in the next few years. The first of these will be the Australian Rangeland Society conference to be held in Broome this September. In 2025, the International Rangeland Congress will be held in Adelaide, and the “International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists” will be celebrated in 2026. I encourage anyone who is interested in serving the Society to consider nominating for a position on Council ahead of the AGM or joining one of the committees tasked with organising these special events.

Best wishes, Dionne