Supporter spot

The view from the homestead at Charles Darwin Reserve.

One man. Sixty-eight thousand hectares. Not a soul for miles around. And a lot of work to do.

That's the reality Reserve Manager Dale Fuller faces every day on Charles Darwin Reserve.

Or that's what he usually faces. But earlier this year, as Dale packed the ute for the day ahead, he found himself with eight fresh-faced volunteers, champing at the bit to get some station dirt under their fingernails and some country air into their lungs.

The team of volunteers had made the four-hour drive from Perth as part of RAC WA's sponsorship of Charles Darwin Reserve. Since 2008 RAC has provided funding for numerous projects at the reserve, ranging from fire management to the installation of solar panels.

The first impression for Britt Allen, one of the RAC employees, was the size of the reserve – and of Dale's task.

'When you say the word 'conservation', all sorts of images pop into your head,' she says. 'But when we stepped onto the reserve, what struck us most was the sheer size of the property, and the amount of work that needs to be done to keep it in good shape. Dale is only one person on all that land – he does an incredible job.'

	RAC WA employees showing off Dale Fuller's favourite new toy at Charles Darwin Reserve. Photo: Liz Headland

The shrublands, salt lakes and claypans of Charles Darwin Reserve indeed keep Dale busy – nurturing the land back to health is an ongoing task.

But on this particular occasion, Dale not only had eight eager helpers, but also what Britt suspects was his favourite toy – a front-end loader that RAC purchased for Bush Heritage in 2009.

'The loader has made such a difference to my working day,' says Dale Fuller. 'It makes a whole range of activities – like firebreak work, track work and erosion control – possible, which simply couldn't be done before or had to be done by contractors.

The loader easily doubled the benefit of the work that the RAC crew did while they were here. It's a great asset for Bush Heritage. I'm pretty fond of that loader.'

The loader couldn't do all the work, though, and the volunteers set to work with the day's task: building barriers of fallen timber and scrub from the bush to redirect water flow and prevent soil erosion.

'It was hard work but very satisfying,' says Britt. 'We all just mucked in together, finding a real group synergy.'

Two days at Charles Darwin gave the RAC team a glimpse of what it might be like in Dale's shoes.

But after their backs stopped aching and the dirt had disappeared from under their nails, Britt and her colleagues kept something lasting – a memory of the 68 000 hectares they helped to protect.

'At lunchtime, sitting out in the bush with our blanket and picnic lunch, there was a moment when everyone was silent, just looking at the beauty of the landscape and we were all connected. No words were needed.'

RAC is a patron of Charles Darwin Reserve. Thanks to their generous purchase of the front-end loader (pictured), Dale Fuller can carry out much-needed track work, erosion control and construction of firebreaks. RAC's support in a range of conservation activities helps protect the reserve's native species – like the malleefowl, the spiny-cheeked honeyeater and the crested dragon.