AABR Newsletter Number 3: June 1987,
AABR Newsletter Number 2: February 1987
AABR Pioneers Janet Fairlie-Cunnigham and Nancy Pallin
Wind back to 1987. AABR was young. Keen. Still finding its footing, but already firmly in the bush.
The early newsletters read like field notes from a movement taking shape. Meetings at Field of Mars. Bring your lunch. Tea provided. A mix of volunteers, professionals and curious newcomers swapping ideas and building something new together
Learning by doing. And doing a lot
Training was front and centre from the start. Courses in botany, ecology and plant identification filled the calendar. Bush regeneration was being taught in TAFE, evening colleges and through community programs. Skills mattered. And people were hungry to learn them
Outreach followed naturally. From Blue Mountains bush regen schools to museum displays during Heritage Week, AABR members were already sharing knowledge beyond their own sites. Taking bush regeneration to the public. Inviting people in
On-ground action. Always
The work itself was practical and place-based. Field of Mars Reserve stands out. Volunteers tackling weeds like Ipomoea indica and Cardiospermum grandiflorum. Watching natural regeneration return once pressure was eased. Slow progress. Real progress
Across the harbour, the Sugarloaf Creek project was restoring creeklines through sandstone country. Funded, supported and already recognised as significant urban bushland worth saving
Schools got involved too. At Wahroonga Public School, students raised thousands of local native seedlings and worked within remnant bushland. Learning ecology by getting their hands in the soil. Early signs of what we now call community-based restoration
Sharing knowledge. Solving problems
The newsletters weren’t just updates. They were working documents.
How to remove Tradescantia fluminensis.
How to collect and germinate seed.
What works. What doesn’t.
Members were encouraged to contribute observations, test ideas and report back. A community of practice in its earliest form
Building the profession
Even then, bigger questions were being tackled.
Accreditation was on the agenda.
Membership categories were being debated.
A register of sites and species lists was underway.
There was a clear push to define standards, recognise skills and strengthen bush regeneration as a profession
Job opportunities began appearing. Councils were hiring regenerators. Paid roles emerging alongside volunteer effort. A shift from passion to profession
A strong thread of community
And threaded through it all. People.
Garage sales to raise funds.
Camping weekends in Wollemi.
Bush walks. Shared meals. Shared purpose.
AABR was never just about techniques. It was about connection. To place. To each other. To the work.
Forty years on, much has changed. Tools. language. scale.
But the core ideas are still here. Care for Country. Work with natural regeneration. Share knowledge. Build skill. Show up.
Same roots. Still growing.
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