2017 – Present
Sustaining the Williams Valley Inc. (SWV Inc) is a community group that commenced in 2017. Its main aims are to be an effective advocate for the sustainability of the Williams River Valley, and to identify, create and implement initiatives that will meet sustainability objectives.
Our current project is on the bank of the Williams River at Frank Robinson Park, Dungog. The Lilly Pilly Riparian Rainforest Restoration Project aims to stabilise the river bank and reintroduce rainforest plant species along the Williams River at Frank Robinson Park.
Periodically we run workshops to inform the community about the various environmental features of the Williams Valley and ways to preserve our precious resources. Our River and Rainforest workshop was a public event with three speakers who discussed the impact that environmental change can have on people, impacts on the Williams River since the arrival of Europeans, and native flora that occur in the area.
We ran a series of workshops to educate the community about the Community Owned Renewable Energy sector that allows communities to come together to initiate, develop, operate, own and benefit from their own renewable energy projects.
Big Wins
River and Rainforest workshop!
Lessons
It’s important to keep members informed and it can be hard to find people with the skills needed.
Challenges faced include keeping members informed, sourcing appropriate information and skill sets, working efficiently with government departments, committed members being time poor, writing funding applications, lack of money.
We enjoy social interaction, knowledge sharing and feeling good about doing something that will make a difference.
