Hobsons Bay Wetland Centre Inc is a volunteer-driven not-for-profit Registered Environmental Organisation that is passionate about connecting people with nature. HBWC is supported by members and volunteers with diverse experience across sectors including business, education, environmental management and community engagement. A voluntary Committee of Management leads the organisation through regular meetings and information sharing. We have formed partnerships with a number of Government and other organisations to progress the Centre’s development and we also receive support from local community and business organisations.
Volunteers - Ambassadors for Nature
HBWC is successful in engaging the wider community through nature-based activities due to its dedicated and talented volunteers. Our organisation is able to protect and enhance our local natural environment only because of the extraordinary work carried out by our volunteers to connect people with nature through sharing knowledge and enthusiasm about the local wetlands. Our volunteers truly are Ambassadors for Nature!
HBWC provides plenty of opportunities for everyone to get together to share our experiences, enjoy a range of activities with the community and make new friends.
Our volunteers are supported through good governance. The Committee of Management has approved a package of volunteer documents and templates to ensure the smooth running of our activities and assist our volunteers in understanding their roles and responsibilities. These documents include:
Our volunteers are covered by insurance while working at our office at the Truganina Explosives Reserve and when participating in outdoor activities. We hold volunteer training workshops as the opportunity arises.
If you are not already a volunteer and have some time to spare please register here. There are opportunities for very short-term help, such as helping out at one of our Open Days through to serving on our committee of management.
All our volunteers are required to read the HBWC Child Safety Policy and for some activities, will require a current Working with Children Check.
We are also keen to engage with more experienced volunteers to lead an activity or focus on a time-consuming task. If this is you, please contact us at hbwcgroup@gmail.com and let us know what you are interested in.
Committee of Management
Dr Marilyn Olliff
B Sc Hons, Ph D
Marilyn is the founder and current Chair of Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre and cofounder of Hobsons Bay Boomerang Bags. She was Hobsons Bay Citizen of the year in 2019. Marilyn began her career as a research chemist before joining the Environment Protection Authority, where she was appointed an environmental auditor and held leadership roles working with industry and the community to achieve environmental outcomes. Marilyn is passionate about connecting people with nature and uses her knowledge and experience to initiate and manage a range of community projects.
Kevin Wood
B Ag Sc, M Soc Sc, Grad Cert Urb Devel,
Grad Cert Ornith
Kevin is the HBWC Vice-Chair. He has had a long career in environmental management, leading many planning programs in the Port Phillip region, including for the western wetlands, the City of Hobsons Bay, the Williamstown Rifle Range, and the Laverton Saltworks. Kevin’s long association with wetlands saw him publish a book on Birds of Port Phillip Bay and be appointed as the first Secretary of the Victorian Wetlands Trust. Between 1990 and 2002 he monitored birds across the Williamstown Rifle Range and broader Altona region and reported on the effect of development at the Range on bird populations. In 2007 Kevin joined the Glenelg Hopkins CMA in western Victoria and was appointed CEO in 2011. He is now retired and living in Daylesford.
Nella Varcoe
Master of Business and Technology
Nella Varcoe is the HBWC Secretary. She is a Quality and Technical professional with over 25 years of experience in the Australian food industry, including quality and food safety systems, governance and regulatory compliance. Beyond her professional pursuits, Nella is deeply committed to animal welfare, environmental causes and community groups where she, alongside her family, actively engages in various local community groups through volunteer work. Nella believes that when people collaborate through community initiatives, they have the collective power to make a significant impact, promoting sustainability, and raising awareness for a cleaner, healthier world and a more harmonious way of living.
Craig Rowley
BA Psychology, Grad Cert Politics and Policy, Dip Management
Craig Rowley is the HBWC Treasurer. Currently working with the Department of Government Services, Craig has held leadership and management roles in both the public and private sectors and a diversity of industries. He was previously the chief executive of LeadWest. Craig presently serves on the committees of management for two non-profit organisations. He is also the treasurer of the Online Hate Prevention Institute. Craig is an alumnus of Leadership Victoria’s Williamson Community Leadership Program and a member of the Institute of Community Directors and the International Association for Public Participation Australasia.
Sally Lock
MLaw(Env), LLB, GDipLegalPrac
Sally commenced her career as a practising solicitor before transitioning to the environmental protection and sustainability sector. Sally has over 16 years’ experience in public sector environmental policy development, legislative reform, project management and stakeholder engagement. Sally has worked to improve environmental outcomes across a wide range of policy areas including resource efficiency and recovery, waste management, protection of the ozone layer, and climate change. As a member of Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre Sally enjoys the opportunity to contribute her knowledge and experience in protecting the unique coastal environment of her local community.
Helen Meyer-Tinning
BA Hons, Masters in Public Administration
Helen is the Contract Manager (volunteer) for the Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre, ensuring that the Centre meets all its grant funding obligations in a timely way. Helen has a few decades of experience in policy and strategy, program and project management and evaluation across different government service areas. Most recently, Helen has been in leadership and management roles that focused on improving outcomes in health, mental health and wellbeing. Helen is keen to bring to life the Wetland Centre’s aim of improving community and individual well being through contact with and learning the importance of preserving nature. Helen is a member of the Institute of Community Directors.
Jenny Mitchell OAM
BA, Grad Dip Community Development
In her working life, Jenny managed programs and teams in international and local human rights organisations and led Amnesty International training workshops overseas. She worked as a project evaluation consultant to a number of not-for-profit organisations, served on Committees of Management, and contributed to local community actions. On retirement, she decided to focus on environmental issues in the local community, realising that tackling climate change was fundamental to the earth’s survival. As a result, her involvement with HBWC began in 2016. She brings her experiences in strategic planning and governance to the organisation.
Partners
Supporters
Through social media and event participation we have received encouragement from hundreds of local community members who are keen to see the purpose-built centre become a reality.
Other active supporters of the Centre’s aims include Western Metropolitan Tourism, LeadWest, Greening the West, Altona Community Bank - Bendigo Bank, and Friends of Skeleton Creek and Altona Bay Wetlands. More than 20 local organisations have expressed their support including the Altona Rotary Club, Altona Village Traders Association, Port Phillip Ecocentre, Hobsons Bay’s six friends-of groups, Jawbone Marine Sanctuary Care Group and Marine Care Point Cook.
Opportunities
Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre is seeking engagement with a number of corporate, philanthropic and other businesses and organisations to help progress the Centre. If your organisation would like to be a part of this exciting and innovative initiative, email us at HBWCgroup@gmail.com
Testimonials
“The proposed location of the Wetlands Centre will enable it to promote and protect the Ramsar Site and Cheetham and Altona Key Biodiversity Area; sites internationally recognised as biodiversity hotspots for nature.”
Paul Sullivan, Chief Executive
Birdlife Australia“The Centre would provide an opportunity to showcase our birdlife, native plants and our elusive and endangered Altona Skipper butterfly. Most importantly it would foster a connection to our environment with our local community, national and international visitors.”
Kim Walsh, President
Altona Village Traders Association Inc.“Friends of Lower Kororoit Creek Inc believes that the Wetlands Centre will offer diverse opportunities for people of all ages to connect with nature. ”
Geoffrey W Mitchelmore OAM
President Friends of Lower Kororoit Creek Inc.“As a group which spends much of its time enjoying the great outdoors, we are in favour of your work to improve awareness and support for conservation in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Many cyclists come across on the punt to use our local trails and a nature centre would be an excellent addition to a ride by educating the public about the rich natural resources in the West.”
John Stirk, President
BayWest Bicycle Users Group Inc“A nature centre seems like a very worthy initiative that should complement other community and environmental assets of the local area.”
Bryan Goodwin, Secretary
Rotary Club of Altona City