Phone: (03) 5135 4444
November, 2020
Tasty innovation TALK ABOUT A WINNING RECIPE PAGE 2
Hollywood y has met the beef b industry with Kardella farmer Ian Kondarovskis using automation to feed his livestock the leftover tasty popcorn p treats enjoyed j at the flicks. FULL STORY - PAGE 7 photograph p p h hayley mills il
NEW BUSINESS IS WOOLLY GOOD
PASSION PROJECT By LIZ BELL
YOU won’t find former Briagolong boy tur ned inter national businessman Jason Thatcher flashing his success in your face. The humble philanthropic entrepreneur is happier using his money to make positive contributions to his communities. Mr Thatcher runs a motorcycle touring company in Vietnam. He has founded several community programs in South-East Asia, including the Global Village Housing project in Cambodia, as
well as medical facilities, schools and other community assets. But he also has his altruistic efforts focused closer to home. His latest venture is improving the environmental health of the beautiful but undevelopable seven hectares of land on the edge of Sale to the point of restoring it to its pre-grazing state, and reintroducing its natural billabongs. Mr Thatcher recently bought the block and had big plans - in conjunction with the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Trust for Nature and
Landcare, and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation - to rid the land of feral animals, improve the health of the waterway, and build on his idea of giving the land back to nature. Already, he has achieved milestone progress, with the property now rid of rabbits thanks to a rabbit-proof fence and intensive fumigations, replanting of thousands of indigenous trees, and the removal of invasive water lilies that were choking the creek. There are still some “ferals� to
deal with, including carp and weeds, but Mr Thatcher has worked out a management plan with other environmental bodies that has him on track to achieve his dream. He has his sights set on re-invigorating an old, empty billabong that was likely filled in when the land was used for grazing, and would like to offer the surrounding land to the community to be used for an environmentally-conscious project such as permaculture.
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