“It was nice to be recognised for the award, but it was a bit of a surprise. I might get the accolade but there are a whole group of people behind me who contributed.” – John Pye

John Pye has supported Landcare and the wider rural community for over 36 years. He’s played an important role in the Project Platypus Landcare Network, which supports 11 Landcare groups in the Upper Wimmera catchment area. Since 1994, the network has planted 1.1 million trees, treated 20,000 hectares for invasive flora and fauna and protected 1,200 hectares of remnant vegetation. Changes in State and Federal funding brought Project Platypus to a crisis point in 2017, with insufficient funds to maintain a salaried manager, volunteer and staff morale wavering, and the high likelihood of the organisation’s demise.

Between May in 2017 to November 2018 John voluntarily acted in the role of Project Platypus Manager averaging 50 hours per week, equivalent to $100,000 of in-kind labour. He worked with a broad spectrum of community members and partner organisations to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding to implement Landcare activities and has achieved a current equity position which is the best ever recorded by Project Platypus.