Victorian Landcare Magazine - Spring, Issue 92
When Annette Cavanagh first joined the Yellow Creek-Dairy Creek Landcare Group in 2017, she was motivated by a love of nature and a desire to bring people together.
Nearly a decade later, she has become one of Australia’s most influential young landcare leaders, helping to build a new generation of environmental champions through her work at local, regional and national levels.
During more than three years as president of the Yellow Creek-Dairy Creek Landcare Group, Annette worked with established members and new landholders to strengthen sustainable land management practices, improve biodiversity and build stronger community connections.
Recognising that younger people were often underrepresented in landcare, Annette helped establish Upper Goulburn Intrepid Landcare.
The group was created to provide opportunities for young people to connect with nature, contribute to their communities and develop leadership skills through environmental action. Today, the organisation continues to attract young volunteers through events, education programs and practical conservation projects.
Her influence extends far beyond her local region.
Since 2021, Annette has served as chair of Intrepid Landcare, a national youth-focused organisation supporting young environmental leaders.
In this volunteer role she has helped connect and support between 16 and 20 Intrepid Landcare groups across Australia, creating opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing and leadership development.
One of her greatest strengths is her ability to inspire participation. Annette has played a key role in major youth initiatives including the NextGen Youth Forum in 2022 and the NextGen Youth Summit in 2026. These programs have helped young people build networks, develop practical skills and gain confidence as environmental leaders.
She also contributed to developing the Do Stuff That Matters journal, a resource designed to support emerging young landcarers.
Annette combines practical conservation with education and communication.
Locally, she has helped organise biodiversity projects, community planting days and sustainable agriculture initiatives. She developed a blackberry management guide which was distributed to more than 50 landholders, and contributed to the publication Caring for the Land – Sustainable Agriculture, providing practical advice on biodiversity enhancement and regenerative farming.
Her approach to leadership is deeply inclusive. Through social media, mentoring, public speaking and innovative events, she has helped make landcare more accessible to younger audiences.
Activities such as the Upper Goulburn Intrepid Landcare ‘Canoe and Weed’ event demonstrate her ability to combine environmental action with creativity and community engagement, attracting participants from well beyond the local area.
Alongside her volunteer leadership, Annette is undertaking PhD research into farm-scale natural capital accounting. Her work aims to help farmers better understand and value the environmental assets on their properties, strengthening connections between agriculture, biodiversity and sustainable land management.
Whether mentoring emerging leaders, building partnerships or contributing new ideas to sustainable agriculture, Annette has dedicated herself to ensuring landcare remains relevant, inclusive and impactful for future generations.
Corey McFadyen has become a driving force behind Intrepid Landcare since first discovering organisation through an Intrepid Landcare Leadership Retreat in 2021.
Known for his gentle and inclusive leadership style, he has helped create a welcoming environment where young adults can develop environmental and leadership skills.
Corey has organised butterfly surveys, planting projects, weeding events and the annual ‘Planting with Pride’ initiative, while also mentoring new volunteers.
As a facilitator with Nature Stewards, he helps teach participants about biodiversity, waterways, climate change and Indigenous knowledge, inspiring more young people to connect with and care for nature.
Above: Corey McFadyen is a driving force within Intrepid Landcare.
Founded in 2024, Wattle is a youth-led environmental organisation creating welcoming pathways into landcare for young adults.
Based in Melbourne, the group delivers habitat restoration, tree planting, clean-up events, biodiversity workshops and stewardship projects focused on the Birrarung (Yarra River) and Port Phillip Bay catchments.
In 2025 alone, Wattle engaged more than 400 young people through regular events and helped restore urban nature corridors with hundreds of native plantings.
Through creative activities, partnerships and youth-led advocacy, Wattle has shown that environmental stewardship can be social, accessible and engaging, while building a strong new generation of environmental leaders.
Above: Wattle runs fortnightly events to restore urban nature corridors in Melbourne.