Our Committee
The Dalrymple Landcare Committee Inc operates a four-person executive committee consisting of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer. All positions are held by members of the Dalrymple Landcare Committee. Elections for the positions are held at the Annual General Meeting, usually held in November/December each year.
di hood - chair
Di and David Hood manage Kirkton Station near Ravensood. Di grew up on a sheep/pig/cattle/cotton and grain farm near Theodore in Central Queensland.
Why are you involved in Landcare? I believe in Landcare's ability to reach a wider audience and use a vast amount of resources from other groups to help everyone in our community.
What gets you out of bed every day? The alarm clock, and our 5 boys!! I love where I live and helping my husband run our cattle station and planning the running and improvement of our herd and land.
Major property management goals for the next 5 years? Major destocking and land reclamation, weed control and pasture improvement.
michael penna - deputy chair
Michael and Natasha Penna run Riverview at Charters Towers. It’s a mixed cropping enterprise on the banks of the Burdekin River.
Why are you involved in Landcare? To leave the place in a better condition than when I started farming. I also like finding out more about weed management and networking with likeminded individuals.
What gets you out of bed every day? I love growing crops and farming!
What are your property management goals for the year? Reduce the number of weeds I have. I seem to have every weed known to man and every time it floods, I get another one!
bob shepherd - secretary
With 44 years of industry experience under his belt, including as a soil conservation field officer and as a grazing land management extension officer Bob understands the needs and practices required to manage land and conserve soil across a wide range of agricultural land uses in Queensland.
Why are you involved in Landcare? It is the best way I know of to work with people who own and manage agricultural land, and make positive changes in land management and business viability.
What gets you out of bed each day? The possibility of travelling to a property to meet primary producers and see what is happening on the ground.
sally turley - treasurer
Sally and John Turley own and manage Wandovale, north of Charters Towers. Sally grew up on a dairy farm in Millaa Millaa on the Atherton Tablelands.
Why are you involved in Landcare? As a farmer/grazier, I have partnered with nature throughout the years raising cattle. Nothing is more fierce, beautiful or regenerative than nature and I have developed the deepest respect for my environment during my career. I wish to continue living in harmony with the land and contributing to its health and welfare wherever I can.
What gets you out of bed every day? The need to nurture animals in my care; the surprises often contained in each day and the Suncorp Bank mortgage.
Major management goals for the next five years? Reducing cattle numbers across the board; upgrading most waters and a lot of the buildings to solar; continuing to improve pastures by flying on seed and targeting major weed infestations and gravelling most of our major roads to improve access and reduce erosion.
Since 1988, the DLC has hosted six outstanding staff to develop projects with producers as well manage and deliver incentive and training packages in the local community. The success of these staff have been their knowledge of primary production systems in the local area and their ability to engage producers in sustainable land management. The Dalrymple Landcare Committee presently employs one full time coordinator- Heather Jonsson, based in the Charters Towers Department of Agriculture and Fisheries office.
HEATHER JONNSON - co-ordinator
Heather Jonnson is no stranger to having dirt under her fingernails, growing up between the family cane farm north of Cairns and a cattle station between Mareeba and Chillagoe. After leaving home she worked as a governess on cattle stations in the Gulf Country and the Northern Territory.
With four sons to educate, Heather and her husband Steve have moved “closer to the schoolbus” on a block outside Charters Towers.
Why are you involved in Landcare? I think most importantly Landcare is about the people rather than the land. Connect with the people on the land and you will find out what they want to achieve and this all comes back to the land in the long run.
What gets you out of bed every day? I have a passion to do stuff, I can’t sit still. To help people and provide worthwhile opportunities to those who want it.
When not at work, you can be found…. taking photos and always learning. Love the iPhone to listen to podcasts and audiobooks on various subjects. I love to help I suppose and taking heaps of photos!