Long service: Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority employees Collin Tate and Tom O’Dwyer have worked for the authority for 25 years, the entire life of the GB CMA.
July 1 brought up a rare milestone for two employees of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority.
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The pair, Yea-based Tom O’Dwyer and Collin Tate, celebrated 25 years of employment with the authority, which celebrated its 25th anniversary on the same day.
That’s because the two started their employment at the authority on the day the GB CMA came into existence.
“Overall, you do hope that what you’ve done for all these years has made a difference,” Mr O’Dwyer said.
“There’s been a lot of people come and go through the organisation in that time and I’ve always been happy to share my knowledge and experience.
“Enthusiasm and new perspectives have blended with experience.”
Mr Tate said he felt a sense of pride in the work of the GB CMA.
“When I started here, I never gave much thought to how long I was going to stay in the job,” he said.
“But 12 months in, it just seemed like what the CMA was doing was a good thing for the environment and I’ve continued to enjoy contributing to that.
“Looking back at some of the early tree plantations and seeing the size of the trees now, you soon realise how long you have been here.”
Catchment quality: Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority workers Tom O’Dwyer and Collin Tate have dedicated a quarter-of-a-century to protecting the quality of the Goulburn Broken catchment.
Photo by
Ray Sizer
Two-and-a half decades after starting with the GB CMA, Mr O’Dwyer is a technical waterway and floodplain engineer and Mr Tate is a river health implementation works supervisor.
“There has been an evolution of waterway management in that time,” Mr O’Dwyer said.
“There’s a much more sophisticated approach now than in the early days — a far greater understanding of how the river, landscape and natural environment function as a whole.
“Waterways are the most sensitive environmental feature in the landscape, they are at the heart of it all. All rivers, streams and tributaries join together eventually.”
Mr Tate said he had seen improvements in the catchment during his time with the GB CMA.
“I love revegetation work and seeing the result of that over the years — tree planting, habitat work, watching the fish populations come back,” he said.
“Being involved in the revegetation of King Parrot Creek between Yea and Seymour has been particularly satisfying.
“In 1998, the first fish survey was done there and those surveys are still being done today.
“Fish have turned back up and water bugs have moved in due to improvements in that waterway and that’s fantastic.”
The community and the environment have faced numerous challenges over the past 25 years, including fires, flood and extended drought, but Mr O’Dwyer said both had shown incredible resilience.
“Recovery from those events is very hard and takes time for people and the landscape,” he said.
Mr Tate said there had always been a strong community connection to the catchment, from landholders to conservation groups.
“I’ve also seen generational changes in farming and agricultural practices with lots of improvements over time in land and stock management,” he said.
“Science has come into decision making in catchment management a lot more over the years and it’s certainly for the better.”
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