Bangalow Koalas’ Linda Sparrow in the running for NSW Award

Published on 21 May 2020

Linda Sparrow, the energy behind Bangalow Koalas, has been named as a finalist in the 2020 NSW Environmental Citizen of the Year Award.

The Award is sponsored by the Return and Earn litter reduction program and recognises outstanding efforts by individuals or organisations for environmental projects.

Byron Shire Mayor, Simon Richardson, said Linda Sparrow is already a winner on both counts – as an individual and as the coordinator of Bangalow Koalas.

“Linda started Bangalow Koalas four years ago after she and a handful of others banded together to protect a 400m stretch of trees as a koala corridor,” Mayor Richardson said.

“In the last two years Bangalow Koalas has planted 43,236 koala food trees and the group was named the winner of the Byron Shire Environmental Project of the Year that was announced on Australia Day.

“What a magnificent contribution Linda has made to our community and on behalf of Council I would like to thank her and her band of volunteers for their commitment to saving the koalas in the Byron Shire,” he said.

Not surprisingly COVID-19 hasn’t stopped Linda or Bangalow Koalas with 24,000 trees planted since February this year.

“Our aim is to have a koala corridor connecting Byron Shire to Tenterfield in the west, Grafton to the south and the Tweed to the north,” Linda said.

“We’ve set ourselves a target of putting at least 41,000 trees in the ground around Bangalow and other parts of the Byron Shire this year and we will meet that target without a problem,” she said.

“This dream of ours goes well beyond the Byron Shire and we have people from far and wide coming to our tree planting days which is so gratifying.

“We’ve also managed to secure grant funding that is providing jobs for people and all of a sudden our little, local project has taken off and is not only making a difference to our koalas and our environment, but it’s creating paid work for people as well,” Linda said.

The NSW Australia Day Council will announce the winner of the 2020 NSW Environmental Citizen of the Year in early June.

In the meantime – Bangalow Koalas is always looking for new faces.  Go to www.bangalowkoalas.com.au/ for information.

For media enquiries contact Annie Lewis, Media and Communications Coordinator, on 6626 7320 or Linda Sparrow from Bangalow Koalas on 0411 491 991.