THE Bathurst and District Branch of the National Trust presented its Heritage Award for April to Chris Marshall.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After 30 years of service to the Bathurst community, in a variety of environmental roles, Chris and his wife Mary are amid final preparations to retire to the coast.
Mr and Mrs Marshall moved to Bathurst in 1985 so Mr Marshall could take up a role as manager with the local Soil Conservation Service. There, he worked on many projects including the Evans Plain Soil Conservation Project.
In 1991, Mr Marshall moved to the local office of the Environmental Protection Agency as a strategic planner focusing on Water Catchment Management.
In these positions, Mr Marshall collaborated closely with geologists and geomorphologists which has engendered in him a love of landscape geography and the natural environment.
National Trust Bathurst and District Branch’s, Wayne Feebrey, said Mr Marshall is a passionate advocate for environmental protection, and has acted as a committee volunteer on a number of groups including Greening Bathurst, Boundary Road Landcare, Macquarie Rivercare, the Peel Native Flora and Fauna Trust and the Bathurst Regional Council Vegetation Management Advisory Group.
“On these various bodies, Chris gained a reputation as a strategic thinker and passionate lobbyist for environmental protection, rehabilitation and enhancement,” Mr Feebrey said.
“Along with John Cousins, Neil Barlow, Kath Knowles and Barb McTaggart, Chris was instrumental in bringing to life to the council’s landmark Vegetation Manage-ment Plan for the city in 2003.”
Mr Marshall also contributed significantly to the Bathurst Regional Council Biodiversity Management Plan and Urban Waterways Management Plan.
In the lead up to council’s re-development of their Development Control Plan and Local Environmental Plan, Mr Marshall wrote several important submissions urging for the proactive inclusion of natural heritage values in these planning documents, and many of his ideas are evident in these plans.
“Chris is always quick to acknowledge the deep understanding of country held by the Wiradyuri people and their careful management of the natural resources of the region that saw a pristine environment on European arrival on the Bathurst Plains,” Mr Feebrey said.
Mr Marshall is a keen observer of the natural world and has willingly shared his knowledge of the environment through his regular columns in the Western Advocate, talks on radio 2BS and to community and school groups.
“During his 30 years in Bathurst, Chris has served the local community with distinction and the local branch of the Trust is very proud to award him with its April Heritage Award for his many ongoing and significant contributions to preserving our natural heritage,” Mr Feebrey said.