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National Reconciliation Week with Ross Mitchell
On the 27th of May, National Reconciliation Week kicks off for it’s milestone 20th year. At SQ Landscapes we are passionate about our people; and celebrate the diversity of our staff. As we reflect on the significance of National Reconciliation Week, Kooma man and new staff member Ross Mitchell generously shared some of his experiences on Country and his hopes for land care in the future.
Ross recently came on board as a Project Officer and member of the SQ Landscapes First Peoples Committee. Ross has also taken on the role of Regional Agricultural Landcare Facilitator (RALF) for the Southwest region. His extensive experience with community outreach and engagement are grounded in Ross’ passions for working with people.
Ross brings extensive knowledge of Country to his role at SQ Landscapes, through his project work and role as a Common Law holder and director of Kooma Aboriginal Corporation Native Title PBC.
“I am the current Chairperson and have been for the past eight years of two adjoining stations, Murra Murra and Bendee Downs Stations South of Charleville. It is 225 000 acres, which runs a small herd of cattle and sheep; about 36 000 hectares [of it is] declared Indigenous Protected Areas (IPA) and Nature Refuge,” said Ross.
Outside of his role at SQ Landscapes, Ross keeps himself busy as a Specialist Director and one of the founding members of Paroo Nebine Aboriginal Corporation in Cunnamulla.
Ross is also a Director of the Bidjara Aboriginal Corporation in Charleville at Yumba Sandhill Reserve. Ross’ position at Yumba Sandhill Reserve holds great significance to Ross and his family, as it was the place of a fringe camp his family was removed from in 1966.
“My family were the last to be removed from the Yumba Reserve into town. There were many tribal Nations there, and there were up to 40 families that lived there,”
“With the Bidjara Aboriginal Corporation, we’re working to acknowledge the people who lived there when it was a reserve, and share their stories and knowledge from this historic time in Australian history,” said Ross.
Ross’ resilience and hope for change have motivated his work and fuelled his desire to work for better outcomes for people and Country.
Ross is currently working with the Charleville team on a project proposal to bring Rangers to four local Aboriginal community groups. The project proposal relates to the Land and Sea Ranger Program, and involves the Kooma, Bidjara, Mardigan and Kunya nations.
Ross says his goal for the future is to see all land holders and nations working together on Country for a better outcome for Country.
“[Our goal] as knowledge holders is to educate the younger generation about how to work with the land for better outcomes,”
“This can only be achieved by working together, sharing knowledge and culture, respecting each other and working for common goals,” said Ross.
National Reconciliation Week marks an important week for reflection on one of the world’s oldest cultures.
Ross’ passion for flourishing landscapes stems from wisdom taught to him through his culture.
“We don’t own the land, we belong to land (Mother Earth),”
“Our Totems, our song lines, our story lines and lore come from Mother Earth,” said Ross.
We are incredibly proud to have Ross in our team and look forward to his contributions in the future.
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The Condamine Headwaters, a critical ecosystem in Southern Queensland, has long faced threats from sedimentation, habitat degradation, and thermal regime changes. The Blackfish Project, dedicated to reversing these impacts, unites scientists, landowners, and the community in a shared mission to restore and protect this vital environment. At its core lies the river blackfish, a sensitive indicator of the overall ecosystem health. Central to the project's success is the unwavering commitment of landowners like Paul Graham. Inspired by the project's vision, Paul reached out to SQ Landscapes seeking support for a solar pump and tank to divert his cattle away from waterways on his property. Paul's deep-rooted love for his land, captured in his humorous quip "I love my land more than I love my wife," is a testament to the powerful connection between people and place that drives conservation efforts.
The Board of Southern Queensland Landscapes recently met in Toowoomba. In addition to the Board meeting, Board and Executive worked through updating SQ Landscapes’ strategy. Company Secretary Pam Murphy highlighted the importance of the latest Board meeting and what it means for the company’s future. “The updated strategy will help SQ Landscapes deliver sustainable natural resource management (NRM) outcomes that improve the lives of people in regional communities now and for the future,” Pam Murphy said. “We’re excited to continue delivering value for our region and build Flourishing Landscapes and Healthy Communities across Southern Queensland under the guidance of the Board,” Mrs Murphy said.
Annual General Meeting When: Wednesday, 13 December 2023 Where: Online via Zoom Time : 9.00am for 9.30am start
When Sophie and Adrian McInnerney began adopting their “paddock to plate” experiment into their lambing business, they quickly discovered how a new and exciting approach to running their enterprise transformed their resilience and soil health. Multi-species cover cropping was the answer, and now their business has become a diverse enterprise that has embraced variations in livestock feed and crop rotation, building riparian fencing, and investing in healthier soils. This has opened the young couple to new opportunities to create new revenue streams, protect their business against natural disasters, drought, and prepare for economic hardships. Their property, “Bellhaven Brook”, located just an hour east of Goondiwindi, was the site of Macintyre Ag Alliance’s latest Multi-Species Cropping Field Day. With the support of Southern Queensland Landscapes (SQ Landscapes), the event aimed to promote the McInnerney family’s new land practices, offering an opportunity to educate land managers in the region of new ways to strengthen their property and enterprise. SQ Landscapes’ Goondiwindi-based Project Delivery Officer Keith Walker joined land managers for the workshop and highlighted how multi-species cover cropping could pave the way to rebuilding healthy soils and farming enterprises. “What was great about visiting ‘Bellhaven Brook’ is that you don’t have to be a scientist to understand this stuff. The idea is to just try and experiment like the McInnerneys did,” Keith Walker said. “These cover cropping systems are all about building your experience, experimenting and slowly developing a healthier and richer soil profile; which is the basis of all businesses; cropping and grazing alike.” Mr Walker said. “It was interesting to see the range of people, the ages from young and old, and the differences in enterprises. It’s a reminder that this genre of agriculture is starting conversations,” he said. “It’s all about implementation on the ground and getting the results for less money and experimenting with what people are doing.”
Cool burns, camels, and funding for local farmers were on the agenda at 'Risdon Stud' as land managers Nick and Liz Suduk hosted the Southern Queensland Landscapes and Department of Resources site visit to showcase the success of the Natural Resources Investment Program 2018-2022 (NRIP). Risdon Stud, south of Warwick, was primarily a high-intensity horse stud, but under new ownership with the Suduk family, the focus has been on restoring productivity and landscape health. “The Suduks participated in the NRIP project, where they received on-site guidance from First Nations fire practitioner Robbie Williams from Fire Lore, for cool burning in native vegetation areas,” Project Delivery Lead Natasha Mylonas said. “This was their first exposure to this type of burning and they have since embarked on a journey towards building their confidence in applying it elsewhere on the property,” Ms Mylonas said. “The NRIP project also supported livestock fencing, largely to exclude cattle from a large patch of remnant vegetation, combined with weed management in that remnant vegetation,” she said. “It is really difficult to muster out of the remnant vegetation, so the fencing has meant easier mustering of the cattle, as well as reduced weed spread and damage to the native vegetation in the patch.” “Outside of the NRIP project, they maintain a herd of agisted camels as part of their weed management strategy and experimented with fire to manage wattle regrowth,” Natasha Mylonas said.