BOB Nimmo (April 24, 1941 to April 13, 2020) was a forester, conservationist and environmentalist.
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Bob was born in Bathurst and his parents moved to Sydney when he was three. He attended Bankstown East Primary School and Hurlstone Agricultural College.
After gaining a traineeship with the Forestry Commission of NSW, in 1958 he completed his education at Sydney University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma in Forestry from the Forestry School, ANU Canberra.
His first appointment with the commission was at Batlow. He met his future wife Val in Tumut and they married in 1966. They have two children, Megan and Raechel, both born in Batlow.
Bob's career took him to Newcastle, Glen Innes, Bathurst and Sydney.
During these years he was president of Batlow Jaycees; foundation member and president of the Batlow Rotary Club; member of the Glen Innes and Bathurst Rotary Clubs; government representative on the Ministerial Advisory Committees for the Gibraltar Range and Blue Mountains National Parks.
He always considered his greatest achievement was in Batlow where he saved an area of Bago State Forest from the establishment of a pine plantation, identifying it as an important water catchment and creating an environmental artesian basin.
As regional forester Bathurst, Bob was instrumental in conceiving, planning and development of Macquarie Woods, a $4 million project to celebrate the bicentenary of Australia and to honour Governor Macquarie for his role in settling the Central Tablelands. It is now a popular free camping area listed on many sites. Friends and neighbours fondly call it "Bob's Woods".
Besides managing the huge forestry area of pine plantations and staff, Bob was the primary nominee of the Evans and Oberon shires' bushfire brigade and secondary nominee for the Lithgow Shire in an advisory capacity. His written articles on fire behaviour and planting radiata pine in NSW were featured in forestry and timber publications.
Bob loved shooting as a sport and during his younger years was considered Olympic standard. He was also a keen fisherman.
Bob was diagnosed with a debilitating muscle disease in 1989 and retired in 1992. He faced his disability with courage and dignity. His great love of the bush and the outback motivated him to see as much of Australia as possible before he was unable to travel.
With the help of friends and family he was able to go across the Nullarbor, the Kimberley, the Daintree, the Dig Tree, Ayers Rock, Birdsville, Jabiru and everywhere in between.
Bob has been described as a gentle, knowledgeable man with great ability, good nature and quiet humour, who had "his finger on the pulse" and inspired many of his old colleagues and friends. He was an avid reader and a connoisseur of good wine.
Sadly missed by Val, Meg and Rae, son-in-law Brook, and grandchildren Em, Maddy and Charlie.