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L McDonald
Malmsbury
L lives near Malmsbury and has begun restoring and healing cleared basalt cap and alluvial creek flat grazing land, to return thriving native habitats and wetlands. L recognises her position on the shoulders of ancestors who worked hard to prioritise education, and understanding the story of county and people, in synergy.
L is an alumni of the Williamson Leadership Program, holds a degree and masters in Ag and Environment from the University of Sydney, and is starting a PhD exploring Indigenous leadership and governance in science research. L believes in the power of good communication and has produced and presented food and farm programs on community radio, and is a former writer and content creator for Gardening Australia TV.
Spanning careers which connect agriculture, ecology and Indigenous land management practices, L's first 30 years grew observation and knowledge of Wiradjuri homelands where L’s family have maintained continual connection with country by working on farms and eventually buying their own open woodland/grassland farms, which endured good and dry years on the basis of gentle management, listening to country, and the many species which have adapted over thousands of years.
L's hands on experiences in land management include a ten-year career with the Department of Primary Industries, making improvements to sustainable farming systems, from intensive irrigation, to dryland cropping and grazing. L grew to focus on bringing multipurpose Indigenous plants onto farms for added ecological and environmental sustainability; then published research to developing deeper soil fertility knowledge for improved organic food production. A career highlight is an international study for the improvement of organic food production, Indigenous grasses, and progressive institutional case studies.
Since moving to Victoria’s Central Highlands in 2009, L has expanded career experiences to include consulting for carbon sequestration methodologies, senior program management and engagement roles for state government, Landcare, school horticulture education programs, a food enterprise for localised farmers markets, and a federal $2M project to develop a self-determination business for bushfoods with Traditional Owners.
As a board member, L is striving to represent and encourage collaboration across the diverse communities of the North Central CMA including food producers, value adding businesses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priorities, and practices for ecological restoration. L is receptive to the needs and priorities of urban and country people, places and experiences, to proactively address climate change together.