Bob's story

Bob Brown, Founder of Bush Heritage Australia

Photo by Wayne Lawler / Ecopix

“I was walking in Tasmania’s Liffey Valley on a sunny day in 1990 when I made a decision that began the journey we now know as Bush Heritage Australia.

I often walked in the bush to collect my thoughts – I still do. On that day, I was walking high above two beautiful bush blocks that had come up for sale and that logging companies were keen to buy.

I thought about what might happen if someone didn’t protect that land. I imagined a scene of grey tree skeletons and burning stumps.

	Dry's Bluff above Liffey Valley. Photo: Wayne Lawler

I walked through a gully dense with rainforest and carpeted by ferns. A small creek bubbled away nearby. I found some hand-worked shards of stone – a reminder of the Aboriginal people who’d been going there for thousands of years, to enjoy the morning sun.

I felt a connection with humanity that stretched back to generations past, and forward to generations yet to come.

I couldn’t stand by and watch that spirit die. With encouragement and support from a group of like-minded friends, I decided to go into debt to buy this natural part of the Australian bush.

It was the beginning of something very special, something that you, as a Bush Heritage supporter, are now part of.

Thanks to you, Bush Heritage has weathered the seasons along the road to today, our 20th anniversary.

I’d like to invite you to celebrate your part in those 20 years. Here you’ll see stories of others who love our bush just like you do.”

“These are your stories – the stories of our bush, our creatures and our people, from 20 years of conservation.”