Stepped Down as Chairman of the Mulloon Institute
A Message from Gary Nairn AO to our Members, Donors and Supporters
24 January 2024
You may be aware that over the past six months, I have been battling a serious health issue that continues to be a challenge. During that time, the Deputy Chairman of our Board, Matt Egerton-Warburton, has been steering our very proficient ‘ship’. I have continued to have input as and when I was capable.
However, due to the nature of my challenge, and after 8 years as the Board’s Chairman, I stepped down from that role at last Friday’s Board meeting. Change is never easy, but it is made so much easier when you have such competent people as Matt, Carolyn Hall and Kathy Kelly as your fellow directors.
Friday’s Board meeting unanimously elected Matt as our new Chairman. I will remain as a director and continue to participate in Board deliberations and decisions as my health permits. Friday’s meeting also unanimously elected Wilfred Finn as a director. Wilf is well known to many within the Mulloon Institute community. He was an inaugural member of the Mulloon Law Committee that has achieved regulative change and continues to prosecute more reform such as our National Landscape Rehydration and Restoration Code. While a lawyer by professional training, his experience in the water and environmental sectors will add great value to our Board’s expertise. Wilf also has been involved at the cutting edge of the many emerging environmental markets.
It was an immense privilege to take over as Chairman from our Founder, Tony Coote AM, in early 2016. He very much laid the foundations for our organisation and on his passing in 2018 left an incredible legacy, one that we have built on during the ensuing five and a half years. I know just how proud he would be of the Mulloon Institute, Mulloon Creek Natural Farms and Mulloon Consulting, as they collectively stand today.
The extent of our projects throughout Australia, alone, demonstrates our growth over that period. But probably more importantly, our profile and standing in Government, within the environmental sector, the agricultural sector and the broader community is something we are very proud of.
For me personally, it has been quite a journey from my very early involvement as the local Federal Member of Parliament when Tony embarked on the original demonstration project on Mulloon Creek in 2006 to now as I hand the Chairman’s baton to Matt. I do so with great confidence that Tony’s vision, to take landscape repair and rehydration to a national acceptance as the key to solving environmental degradation and to reducing climate change impact while improving agricultural output, will continue as our focus.
I will continue to give my total support to our new Chairman, Matt Egerton-Warburton, and my fellow directors, Carolyn, Kathy & Wilf, as we collectively make a great organisation even greater.
Kind Regards