North Queensland Conservation Council

Welcome to this month's edition of Paperbark! We've really hit the ground running this year, and can't believe we're already at the end of March! Now is a great time to beat the rush and renew your membership for 2019-2020. Not a member? We'd love to have your support - annual membership is just $20, but it goes a long way towards supporting our activities. What kind of activities do we get up to? Read on to find out...

In this edition:

What We've Been Up To

• "Save Our National Parks" Campaign Launch
• Townsville Students Strike for Climate Action
• HeatWatch Townsville Event
• Oak Valley Cattle Facility Rally

Upcoming Events

• Big Solar for Townsville Training Night (Thursday 28 March)
• Climate and Health Alliance Workshop (Sunday 31 March)
• Media Training for Townsville (Saturday 6 April)
• Green Drinks (Friday 12 April)
• Member Event (Wednesday 1 May)

Well, what a month it has been up here in North Queensland! If any friends or relatives needed convincing that climate change is happening right now (and not in a few decades' time), this month should quell any doubts for sure. 

We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and getting any and all support required. It has been heartwarming to witness the acts of compassion showed during this one-in-five-hundred-year event. North Queenslanders have a long history of resilience, which will serve us well as we head further into the Anthropocene. 

Here at the office, we've been very fortunate to escape the floods with nothing more than a bit of mould, so rest assured our work continues (we just smell a bit more like vinegar and clove oil than we probably would like).

In this edition: 

• What We've Been Up To:
  • JCU O-Week Market Day
  • Tarquin's Visit to Cardwell
• Upcoming Events:
  • Green Drinks
  • Schools Strike for Climate
  • The Australia Institute Presentation 'Heatwatch'
  • Climate and Health Alliance Workshop
  • Postcard Exhibition Rescheduled (Artworks still welcome!)
• Campaign News
  • Help us Raise $3,000 to save National Parks!
  • Some Background Info
  • New Life for Your Old Hiking Boot
• Other Opportunities
  • Toilet Paper Fundraiser
  • Containers for Cash
  • Review of Queensland’s Environmental Offsets Framework
  • EcoFiesta Speakers Program

Welcome to the first edition of Paperbark for 2019! We hope you have entered the New Year with renewed passion and energy for all things conservation, just as we have! This month we just have a few brief notices to keep you up-to-date...

In this edition:

• Save Hinchinbrook Stall - Strand Night Market
• Help us reach 3,000 signatures!
• 'Defend Our Water' - Skill Up & Campaign Launch
• Postcard Art Exhibition - artworks due 31 January
• Containers for Change - how your recycling could help support us
• Green Drinks - it's back, baby!
• Loo Rolls - a quirky fundraiser that feels good
• Work for AYCC in Townsville
• Volunteers Wanted!

Welcome to our final edition of Paperbark for 2018!

In this edition:

• Campaign Work: protecting Qld National Parks from private leases
• Trivia Night was a success!
• Upcoming Events
• How to donate your container refunds to NQCC
• Management Committee update
• Survey opportunity

Welcome to our November edition of Paperbark, where we keep you up to date on the latest conservation news in North Queensland. This edition is dedicated to the memory of a strong-willed, truly inspirational woman and conservationist who passed away in October this year. The Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland has posted a beautifully-written commemoration of her life. Read it here. 

In This Edition:

• "Hands Off Hinchinbrook" petition
• AGM
• New Management Committee
• Loud Letter Writing
• JCU Market Day
• NENQ Symposium
• "Blue" Screening

Christmas is a happy time for nearly all of us, re-affirming bonds of family and friendship whether or not we celebrate it as a religious festival. 

But it is not all good. The spiritual side of Christmas was being drowned out by the clangour of cash-register bells even when I was a small child still willing to believe in Santa, and in these days of environmental degradation there is another reason to reject its commercialisation, too: Christmas is yet another pretext for blatantly wasteful over-consumption.

In itself, giving is always a good thing (receiving can be nice, too!) and Christmas can be a good excuse to acknowledge our relationships in this way. And choosing not to give presents offends and upsets those who believe in tradition, while refusing to accept gifts offends them even more. So what can we do to opt out of Consumas and back in to Christmas?

A life of outstanding service to country and community

Adapted from a tribute written by Liz Downes, Wildlife Queensland Townsville Branch

With the passing of Margaret Thorsborne on Tuesday 16^th October 2018, we mourn the loss of not only one of NQCC’s Honorary Life Members but also one of Queensland’s most revered and beloved champions of our wildlife and natural heritage.

Born on 3 June 1927, Margaret was the daughter of Constance (nee Keys) and Lionel Kemp-Pennefather, both of whom had given extraordinary service in the most horrific arenas of the first world war: her father with the AIF and her mother with the Australian Army Nursing Service. Their influence on Margaret imbued her with a great compassion for others, a respect for life in all its forms, and a deep love of nature – and with this came an immense sense of responsibility. Seeing herself as a “protector not a protestor” Margaret was indefatigable in her defence of all wildlife species and their habitats, particularly those most vulnerable to human pressures. For Margaret our wetlands and waterways, islands and oceans, forests and woodlands, mangroves, estuaries, dunes and beaches were all a part of our “backyard” to be treated with sensitivity, understanding and the utmost care.

President’s Report

Some of you know me as the political independent anti-Adani candidate for Townsville, others as a teacher and artist, but for those of you who do not know me, I am a passionate advocate for the future of this planet. As always the continuous assault on the environment means that organisations such as NQCC have our work cut out for us trying to hold back the tide, whether the destruction of marine or land based habitats or the major issue of our time - addressing the causes of climate change.

Sweet Country is the first of our new series of monthly movies. Click on the link for more information.

If you enjoyed Guarding the Galilee, the documentary that highlighted the threats of Adani's proposed Carmichael mine, you'll love the sequel... #StopAdani: A Mighty Force explores the diversity and power of the #StopAdani movement, and what it will take to win this campaign.