A team award

Bega District News
Friday 20/6/2008 Page: 1

LOCAL environmental campaigner Matthew Nott has received an award from the Australian Conservation Foundation. Dr Nott was highly commended in the Peter Rawlinson Conservation Award, named after one of Australia's leading conservationists who died aged 48 in Indonesia while engaged in research field work. The award was established to recognise Mr Rawlinson's contribution as an environmental campaigner, researcher and teacher, and for his untiring work for many conservation organisations.

Dr Nott was nominated for the award by Ross Williams and the Anglican Parish of Bega. The nomination, which outlined Dr Nott's work on climate change, specifically with Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE), included references from Bega Valley Shire Council mayor Tony Allen and Chairman of Bega Cheese, Barry Irvin.

Dr Nott said he was honoured and delighted to be given such an award but stressed he accepted it on behalf of everyone who belonged to the movement. "It is recognition not only of my work, but recognition of the work that CEFE is doing," he said. Dr Nott said that as it was a national award, it gave more credibility to CEFE and meant there would be more attention paid to the movement. "This will help mobilise those people who are worried about climate change, but are not sure what to do about it," Dr Nott said.

"Hopefully this will turn their concerns into more community action." Another part of the nomination included mention of Dr Nott's work with surf life saving clubs, especially Tathra with its wind turbine. "Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is hopefully going to have a national Big Swim event next year," Dr Nott said. "So we can start making 305 surf clubs around Australia as energy efficient as Tathra." Dr Nott said that Tathra was one of the SLSA "beacon clubs" as far as sustainable energy was concerned. "It's good to know that all this work that could extend nationally, began here in Tathra," he said.