A cold and very wet weekend didn’t stop over 100 people attending the Hunter Central Coast NCC Regional Conference on the first weekend in June. We had a full house at the Glenrock Scout Camp where the conference was held on Awabakal Country in the picturesque Glenrock State Conservation Area near Newcastle.
The theme of the conference “Hunter and the Central Coast at the Coalface of transition, biodiversity in the balance” was very topical and there was much to discuss and even sing about. The day started with the Ecopella, an environmental choir that “causes harmony to the environment by providing activists and audiences with topical a cappella singing”
Ecopella performing at NCC 2024 Regional Conference
The program was jam packed with plenary panel sessions canvassing the conference theme. There was a showcase session of environment and sustainability groups that traverse the Hunter and Central Coast (11 in total!), with Tim Buckley as a keynote speaker. Aunty Tracey did a heart-felt Welcome to Country, we had a presentation from the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), and a short film from Rising Tide in the morning session.
After lunch, which was a smorgasbord of vegan delights from Brett Thompson and Co, the audience were able to choose two workshops to attend from five being presented.
Jackie Pearson from the Central Coast Community Environment Network (CEN) facilitated a session on “Protecting nature from logging, clearing and renewables”. Jo Lynch from the Hunter Community Environment Centre (HCEC) ran the concurrent workshop on the role of the Hunter in the transition – ending coal, building renewables. It was hard to choose between the two!
The second workshop stream explored how we can protect nature through the renewable energy transition, as well as a session about the campaign to save the Pilliga from coal seam gas, and finally a session run by Zack Schofield from Rising Tide on building the movement for nature – past wins and where to next.
Zack Schofield from Rising Tide - session on building the movement for nature
As part of the Regional Conference, there is a field day to learn about the local area. On the Sunday, it managed to stay dry but the winter woollies were definitely needed. We were rewarded with a talk about the history of the Glenrock Conservation area, a viewing of the largest coal port in the world, a visit to the Hunter Wetlands Ramsar site (complete with a tour), and finally a visit to Hexham Swamp where we were lucky enough to see a nesting endangered Black Necked Stork.
Hexham Swamp – spotting the Black Necked Stork
Each year the NCC Regional Conference shines a spotlight on a different region in NSW, empowering member groups, supporters and local communities by providing a platform to highlight the local issues facing nature before a state-wide audience.
If you are in regional NSW and would like to showcase your area, please let us know - we would love to work with you in 2025. Please complete this Expression of Interest (EOI) form and we will be in touch.