Gerald was Central West Lachlan Landcare Coordinator, a Regional Coordinator and Landcare NSW representative. He also employed me (along with our Committee) and I was fortunate to work closely with him for several months and move office together to Kelly Reserve.

Gerald died suddenly at the age of 46, leaving his wife Lorraine and sons, Ryan and Jarrod, and extended family grieving and the Landcare community shocked.

The Gerald Carnie Memorial Award for Keeping the Landcare Flame Alive was established by Landcare NSW to recognise this very special individual's contributions to the Landcare movement.

It is awarded at the biennial NSW State Landcare Conference to an individual in recognition of their contribution to the development of "the philosophy of Landcare".

The recipient champions the development of Landcare as a means to support and engender change in attitudes, which translates to a more cohesive and resilient community that acts to achieve a healthier environment and/or more productive and sustainable farms.

Applicants are judged on the impact they have had at the local and regional or state scale to ensure that Landcare can prosper.

In 2015 at the inaugural presentation of this award David Walker, a friend and colleague of Gerald (at that stage Deputy Chair for Landcare NSW), read the following: "Gerald had the Landcare fire in his belly. He knew that Landcare is vital to building resilience in our communities in order to build it in our landscapes. He worked hard for a Landcare partnership between government and the community that is equal, and based on respect and trust.

"So as well as the wonderful local activities that people like Gerald support and coordinate, there is a strategic level of policy development and advocacy that is also important

"This Award goes beyond the local to the global. It celebrates the development of the ideas that help us to 'think global, act local' and to engender change in attitudes, which then translate to a healthier environment and more productive and sustainable farms and more cohesive and resilient communities."

Nominations for the 2022 Gerald Carnie Memorial Award close on Friday, 3 September 2021. I will place the link to the Landcare NSW website on our website and social media.

For further information on this article, please go to www.centralwestlachlanlandcare.org, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram @cwllandcare