Celebrating 40 years of Landcare

North East CMA is delighted to have been part of the 40th Year of Landcare celebrations held at Beechworth on Sunday 9 August. The weather may have been cold and rainy but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming at Baarmutha Park. Congratulations to all our award and service acknowledgment recipients and thanks to our sponsors, outstanding MC Cathy McGowan and a stirring welcome to Country from Uncle Dozer Atkinson. Thanks to all for a wonderful day. #northeastlandcare #40yearsoflandcare AGL Indigo Shire Council Soil Land Food #Elders

The full list of award recipients is available here.

Stay tuned for more information about award winners and videos from our Landcare groups about what Landcare's 40th anniversary means to them.

Watch the message below from Landcare Australia chair Peter Garrett

And one from the Member for Indi, Helen Haines

40 years of Landcare 1986-2026

Landcare is celebrating 40 years!

This year marks a remarkable milestone – 40 years since Landcare’s humble beginnings. In 1986, under the leadership of the late Joan Kirner, then Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands and Heather Mitchell, former Victorian Farmers Federation President, Landcare was born. What began as a simple yet powerful idea has grown into one of Australia’s most inspiring community-led movements.

From its early days, Landcare has flourished into a passionate and dedicated volunteer organization with 60 plus networks, over 600 member groups and upwards of 90 000 volunteers across the country.

We are inviting fellow Landcarers to join us in celebrating this wonderful achievement. Over the past four decades so much has been accomplished thanks to the commitment, care and hard work of so many wonderful people like you.

How we have been celebrating

Landcare 40 years schools creative competition

This year Landcare in Victoria turns 40.

That’s as old as many of your parents, or even older.

We want to hear what the next generation has to say about 40 years of Landcare and what it means for their future.

What we want is for you to express in a creative way "What does 40 years of Landcare look like to you?"

We are inviting school-aged children to get creative. You can create a poster, a painting, a model, a video or a photo story; anything! You may have another way of expressing your creativity, that’s great.

GET CREATIVE!!!!

All entries need to be presentable in a digital format so they can be viewed in our on-line gallery.

If you paint a picture, take a picture of that and submit it.

If you create a sculpture or diorama, you could submit that as a video.

If you want to sing a song, you could create a music video with your friends.

All entries received will get displayed in our on-line gallery so everyone can visit and see the creative works of north east Victoria's school children.

Great prizes and surprises will reward the best entries

If you'd like to get involved in celebrating 40 Years of Landcare, there are other ways to get involved.

Plant a Tree, get out and about in nature, observe wildlife in nature (from a distance of course!), find a local Landcare group and join in on a project.

Entries close 23 October 2026.

For more information on this activity or if you would like someone from Landcare to come and talk to your class or school assembly, please contact

Richard Dalkin

Regional Landcare Coordinator

0409 683 467

Richard.dalkin@necma.vic.gov.au

Details are available here

40 years of Landcare award nominations

As part of the 40th anniversary Landcare celebrations at Beechworth on Sunday 9 August, there was a presentation of recognition awards to North East landcarers.

These awards are now closed.

The list of the award winners is here

Landcare 40 years video competition

If you had 60 seconds to tell someone why your Landcare group matters, what would you say?

As a part of the celebration of 40 years of Landcare on 9 August 2026, we showed a series of short videos from many of our region’s Landcare groups.

Entries are now closed.

To revisit the videos click here

Landcare 40 years photo request

Revisit our North East Landcare groups in this photographic sharing of history from the past 40 years.

This photographs were shared at the 40th anniversary celebrations at Beechworth on 9 August.

Click here to show the slide show.