The John Betts Yass Region Landcare Award was established in 2007 to honor the legacy of John Betts, a founding member of the Yass Area Network of Landcare Groups (YAN). Following John’s passing, YAN - together with the Betts Family - created this perpetual award to recognize outstanding contributions to Landcare across the Yass region. The award celebrates one or more individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to Landcare. Criteria include:

 

• Active involvement in YAN or a local member group, demonstrating commitment and distinction.
• Strong leadership or significant service to Landcare, natural resource management, or related community initiatives.
• Sustained contribution over time, often involving personal time or resources.
• Notable on-ground Landcare achievements where other awards may not apply.
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YAN is delighted to announce nominations for the 2026 John Betts Award are now open. If you know someone whose dedication has made a lasting impact on Landcare in our region, now is the time to recognize their contribution:

 

John Betts Award Nominations are open until 30 August 2026.

  

         

 

John Betts award winners are selected by the YAN committee and usually announced at the YAN Annual General Meeting. The award is symbolized by a timber shield - crafted from an old strainer post from John’s property - with recipients’ names added over time. Winners also receive a personal medallion to mark their achievement.

In recognition of past recipients, we’ll be sharing highlights of previous John Betts award winners in the coming weeks. Congratulations and thanks again for your incredible contributions to our Landcare community:

 

• • 2007 Bruce Bray
  • 2008 Jeremy Wilson
  • 2009 Peter Dawes
  • 2010 Lynn & Andrew Bain
  • 2011 George Gundry
  • 2012 Jacqui Stol
  • 2014 Ray Malam
  • 2016 Ross Webster
  • 2017 Jane & David Vincent
  • 2018 Elizabeth Goodfellow
  • 2020 Kathryn McGuirk
  • 2022 Nan & Mary-Jane Betts
  • 2023 Gary & Hansie Armour
  • 2025 Sue McIntyre

 

If you have stories, projects or photos you’d like to share featuring the outstanding work of John Betts or previous award recipients, please get in touch with us:

 

Share Your John Betts award Story

 

   

 

Written by YAN Project Officer Erin Brinkley, with support of Kath McGuirk

If you’ve taken a stroll along the Yass River Walk towards the Yass Weir, you may have noticed the open area at the top of Grampian Street. At first glance, it might seem like an unused or forgotten block,  but in reality, it’s an important neighbour to the Yass Gorge, owned and cared for by the Onerwal Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC).

 

Over recent months, something special has been happening here. Through a partnership between the Yass Area Network of Landcare Groups (YAN), the Friends of Yass Gorge, the Onerwal LALC, and local neighbours, this site has been the focus of a collaborative effort to restore, care for, and reconnect this space with the surrounding gorge environment.

 

Building on Community Effort

This work builds on efforts started last year by the local Aboriginal community, who began clearing invasive blackberries and weeds, along with an initial clean-up of the site started to reactivate the site. What became clear, however, was that the scale of the challenge went far beyond what community alone could manage.

 

Large piles of dumped rubbish, deep holes, rabbit warrens, and remnants of old infrastructure meant that a bigger, coordinated effort was needed.

Working together with the Onerwal LALC, a major clean-up day was organised, bringing together community, machinery, and a shared commitment to caring for Country.

 

 

 

 

 

A Big Clean-Up Day

As the day warmed, an eagle circled overhead, a fitting reminder of the significance of this place. On the ground, the transformation was underway. Large piles of dumped rubbish were pulled apart with machinery, revealing everything from tyres to the remains of a car body. Rabbit warrens and an old water drain were filled in, making the site safer for both people and wildlife.

 

   

 

Exotic and non-local native trees were removed, old fencing was taken down, and truckloads of rubbish were sorted, recycled, and removed from the site.

While there are still some large piles remaining on site, these are made up of organic material. Over time, they will either be safely burnt or left to naturally break down, returning to the landscape.

 

   

 

A Collective Effort

A heartfelt thank you goes to Aunty Deb and Doug for their ongoing care of the site; mowing, maintaining, and keeping invasive weeds at bay. Your quiet, consistent work has made a real difference and has not gone unnoticed.

 

Thank you also to Ross Webster from Friends of Yass Gorge for continuing to bring community together and for his dedication to managing weeds throughout the Gorge.

And to Chris Beck and his team, your heavy lifting, quite literally, made this clean-up possible. From pulling apart decades of dumped waste to sorting and removing it responsibly, your contribution has been invaluable.

 

  

 

Looking Ahead

This is just the beginning. Over the coming years, smaller, ongoing works will help shape this site into a space that sits comfortably within the surrounding gorge landscape. There are plans to extend the endangered Natural Temperate Grassland across the area, enhancing habitat and biodiversity, while also creating a place for the community to gather. A quiet spot overlooking the cliffs, the gorge, and the river below.

 

A Place to Care For, Together

Next time you’re walking along the path, take a moment to notice the changes. The open space, the returning native grasses and tussocks, and the wildlife that call this place home. From swamp wallabies to the many bird species moving through the gorge.

 

 

This is a shared space, and its care continues with all of us.

 

If you feel inclined, you might even stop to pull a few serrated tussock weeds along the path, small actions that make a big difference over time.

This project is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when neighbours come together; community groups, Traditional Owners, and local residents all working side by side to care for Country and strengthen connection to place.

 

Together, we’re not just restoring a site. We’re building relationships, respect, and a shared future for the Yass Gorge and Yarrh.

If you are a neighbour to the Yass Gorge there are lots of things you can do to keep this place in good shape. Reach out to the Friends of Yass Gorge group FOYG@yan.org.au and get involved.

 

Written by, Sarah McGrath, YAN Landcare Coordinator

 

 

 

Recent Below Our Knees Native Grassland and Weed Gatherings held on 28 March and 11 April brought together landholders from Wamboin, Bywong, Sutton and Gundaroo to reflect on shared challenges in managing native grassy ecosystems and explore practical ways forward.   

 

Delivered with Landcare, Friends of Grasslands and South East Local Land Services, the gatherings combined hands‑on field sessions with indoor discussions led by Dr Sonia Graham (University of Wollongong). Drawing on five years of research into community‑led weeding action, Sonia invited participants to break into local groups and start turning the day’s learning into action.  

 

    

 

Wamboin residents highlighted the importance of Greenways and Crown reserves as shared community spaces. Priority weeds such as blackberry, serrated tussock, St John’s wort and invasive native species like Sifton bush continue to spread, particularly from unmanaged properties. Participants were clear that short, hands‑on activities are most effective and agreed the next step would be to organize three Greenway working bees over August-November 2026, with the support of Gearys Gap/Wamboin Landcare and the Greenways Committee.  

 

Bywong participants emphasized the importance of peer support. Landholders are facing ongoing pressure from weeds, compounded by overgrazing from kangaroos and rabbits, and variable neighbour capacity to manage outbreaks. The group favoured small, informal activities along Morrison and Snow Gum Roads - including property visits, plant ID walks and neighbour‑led working bees and BBQs. These activities were seen as ways to build confidence, connection, and share techniques, as well as reduce the sense that people aren’t out there weeding it alone.  

 

     

 

Sutton attendees discussed the challenges of further subdivison ad development around the township, and came up with the idea that a summer holiday program for parents and kids might be a good way to involve more of Sutton community in Landcare and weeding activites at the Reserve.

 

Gundaroo landholders identified African lovegrass as their key challenge, threatening box gum grassy woodlands and broader landscape health. With many already committed to multiple volunteer roles, the focus is on efficient, collaborative action. Ideas include restarting a local Landcare group and collaborating with Sutton Landcare, as well as hosting welcoming plant ID events on The Common and working bees across Dairy Creek Road and the school precinct. Coaxing people along with curry and pizza nights was also mentioned.  

 

    

 

The role of food in community weeding activities cannot be understated. Sonia’s research found weeding is a much a social activity as an ecological one and something as simple as a cuppa, slice of cake and chat after any working bee can be the fuel to keep volunteers going and fabric to keep groups together.  

 

While each community in Wamboin, Bywong, Sutton and Gundaroo faces different environmental pressures, the discussions revealed common ground:  a strong connection to protect and restore native grassy ecosystems and a clear desire to work together rather than tackle these challenges in isolation. As the Below Our Knees series wraps up, we look forward to reconnecting with participants down the track to see how their ideas have taken root.  

 

If you’d like to find out more about Dr Sonia Graham’s research, her new book ‘In the Weeds: Nurturing Community with Landcare’ will be released by CSIRO Publishing in June and available to pre-order at: https://www.publishing.csiro.au/book/8218/ 

 

   

 

Written by Erin Brinkley, YAN Project Officer

 

Founding member of Friends of Yass Gorge, Ross Webster, has recently shared some encouraging photos that show how much progress is being made in the ongoing fight against woody weeds at the Yass Gorge. 

 

Working closely with Yass Valley Council, the Yass Gorge Committee has achieved some impressive results. Several lucerne trees (Chamaecytisus proliferus) have been successfully sprayed and killed, helping to reduce competition with native vegetation. On top of that, more than two hundred Box Elder trees (Acer negundo) have been cut and painted along the river - a major step forward in riparian restoration.

 

 Effective control of Tree Lucerne at Yass Gorge 

 

Why is controlling these weeds important? Lucerne trees spread aggressively. They produce large volumes of seed, thrive in disturbed sites and can alter soil fertility in ways that disadvantage native plants. Box Elder, on the other hand, is a fast‑growing and highly invasive along riparian areas. Once established, it can crowd out native vegetation and degrade waterways through shading, erosion and oxygen depletion when their leaves drop in autumn. 

 

A young Box Elder plant freshly cut and painted 

 

The weed work doesn’t stop there. Recent control efforts have also targeted the long-term and persistent species such as blackberry, wild plum and cotoneaster, all of which can quickly overrun native plants if left unchecked.

 

There’s good news for visitors too. Thanks to the help of Tom O’Dea, the main path entrances to this much‑loved recreational area have been trimmed and cleared, improving visibility and access for walkers and visitors.  

 

 

It’s a reminder that caring for Yass Gorge is very much a team effort. Every sprayed weed and cleared path reflects hours of dedication from volunteers and partner organisations who care for this special place. Next time you visit the Gorge, take a moment to notice the changes. 

 

Written by Erin Brinkley, YAN Project Officer