Take me to the River Siwan Lovett

In today's conversation, Siwan sits down with Callum Edwards from the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Jayden Woolley of the Wadawarrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation to discuss the significance and effectiveness of mentoring, why it matters, and why it was the right fit for them. Callum and Jayden are both alumni of the 2023 Waterway Management Emerging Leaders Program, and share their experiences being a mentor / mentee, respectively, for the first time.
This conversation delves into some of the funny and unexpected moments from the Program, and touches on why Siwan is committed to mentoring as a pathway towards effective waterway, riparian and natural resource management. Callum and Jayden share valuable insight about how their experiences surprised them and helped them to grow, both professionally and personally.

Read Callum and Jayden's Mentoring Story here: https://www.twinningiswinning.com.au/callum-jayden-enhancing-estuary-management-through-mentoring/

Learn more about the Waterway Management Emerging Leaders Program here: https://www.twinningiswinning.com.au/our-program/


If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
🎙️ Listen to our other episodes: https://arrc.au/podcast/
🌱 Learn more about the Australian River Restoration Centre: arrc.au
Take Me to the River is an Australian River Restoration Centre podcast production, hosted by Dr. Siwan Lovett and produced by Chris Walsh, with support from the rest of the ARRC Team. ✨

Siwan talks with Henry Cooper, Project Officer for Land and Catchment Health at the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, and Matt Bowler, Manager of Project Delivery at the West Gippsland CMA about their experience as mentee and mentor, respectively, in the Waterway Management Emerging Leaders Program. Siwan, Matt and Henry discuss the value of having a mentor or mentee by your side; the ways in which the program challenged and surprised them; and how their mentoring experience has impacted their work after the program. They also discuss the challenge of willow removal, details about the Woady Yaloak system, and what drives them to do what they do.

Read Matt & Henry's mentoring story here: https://www.twinningiswinning.com.au/matt-henry-drought-refuges-in-the-woady-yaloak/.

Find out more about the Waterway Management Emerging Leaders Program here: https://www.twinningiswinning.com.au/.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
🎙️ Listen to our other episodes: https://arrc.au/podcast/
🌱 Learn more about the Australian River Restoration Centre: arrc.au
Take Me to the River is an Australian River Restoration Centre podcast production, hosted by Dr. Siwan Lovett and produced by Chris Walsh, with support from the rest of the ARRC Team. ✨

On a crisp Friday morning by the banks of the Cotter river in January 2024, Siwan sat down with Senator David Pocock, the ACT's first independent senator and environmental advocate, to discuss what drives him and what he cares about; his journey towards and inside the world of politics and government; his life growing up in Zimbabwe and career in professional rugby, and more. This is a reflective and insightful conversation, one which reveals a down-to-earth and honest man who deeply cares about the environment we call home.
Siwan and David also discuss the Upper Murrumbidgee, or 'The Forgotten River' — a stretch of river left behind by Federal and NSW water management reforms. As a result, between 90% and 99% of the headwaters of the Murrumbidgee is captured by the Snowy Hydro Scheme each year, which leads to crises like in 2019 when the river almost entirely dried up except for a few algae-choked pools.
The ARRC has been raising awareness about the Forgotten River for a couple of years, and those efforts were rewarded in November 2023 when an agreement was reached between the Albanese Government and Senator Pocock, which ensured a combined $50m of funding for the health of the river, as well as reviews of key legislative documents regarding the regulation of the Upper 'Bidgee. This was a great success for the health of the river and a collaborative effort across the board. The Upper Murrumbidgee still needs more water, but we are hopeful that this agreement sets in motion the ability for these flows to be provided in future years.

Check out the episode show notes: https://arrc.au/senator-david-pocock-being-part-of-a-larger-story/
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
🎙️ Listen to our other episodes: https://arrc.au/podcast/
🌱 Learn more about the Australian River Restoration Centre: arrc.au
Take Me to the River is an Australian River Restoration Centre podcast production, hosted by Dr. Siwan Lovett and produced by Chris Walsh, with support from the rest of the ARRC Team. ✨

In today's episode, Siwan sits down with Australia's Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH), Dr. Simon Banks, to talk about his love of nature, his experience delivering eWater, and what it's like to be the CEWH. This conversation covers Dr. Banks' journey so far, some elements of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, whether Australia is a world-leader in environmental water management, and more.

Dr. Banks has been the CEWH for over 12 months and manages water for the environment on behalf of the Australian Government to support the rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin. Simon has held senior positions in several departments, including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, New Zealand Department of Conservation, and the NSW and Queensland governments. Simon holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (coastal management), a Master of Applied Science from Southern cross University and a Doctor of Philosophy (biological sciences and decision support) from The University of Queensland. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.


To view this episode's show notes, visit arrc.au/delivering-ewater-and-loving-nature-with-dr-simon-banks-episode-24.Flow Monitoring, Evaluation & Research: https://flow-mer.org.au/Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Website: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/water/cewo

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
🎙️ Listen to our other episodes: https://arrc.au/podcast/
🌱 Learn more about the Australian River Restoration Centre: arrc.au
Take Me to the River is an Australian River Restoration Centre podcast production, hosted by Dr. Siwan Lovett and produced by Chris Walsh, with support from the rest of the ARRC Team. ✨

Siwan speaks with Dr. Wayne Koster of the Arthur Rylah Institute, at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, to talk native fish recovery and research. Wayne leads research projects on native fish ecology and conservation across Victoria and more broadly in south-eastern Australia.  The focus of much of Wayne’s recent work has been on the movement and spawning ecology and conservation implications for riverine fishes, particularly the development of flow regimes for fish in regulated rivers. He also does some fascinating work monitoring and tracking eels in our rivers and oceans.

View this episode's show notes at https://arrc.au/dr-wayne-koster-episode-25
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
🎙️ Listen to our other episodes: https://arrc.au/podcast/
🌱 Learn more about the Australian River Restoration Centre: arrc.au
Take Me to the River is an Australian River Restoration Centre podcast production, hosted by Dr. Siwan Lovett and produced by Chris Walsh, with support from the rest of the ARRC Team. ✨

In today's episode, Siwan talks with Richard Swain, a Dabee man of the Wiradjuri nation and a river adventure guide (Alpine River Adventures) in the Snowy Mountains, in Kozciuszko National Park. Richard grew up learning the history of the Australian landscape from his father, and his grandfather taught him how Aboriginal peoples moved through and respected country.  Richard has a long history of volunteering on local environmental and community projects and has a first-hand understanding of the huge impact feral animals have on Australia’s natural environment. Richard is an ambassador for the Invasive Species Council, helping to raise the profile of the role of Indigenous peoples in caring for Country and protecting it from invasive species. His life is now dedicated to protecting the environment from the impacts of modern society.

Content Warning: This conversation includes a description of a massacre of Aboriginal people from 17:00 - 17:26 that may be of concern for some listeners.

This conversation covers a wide range of topics, ranging from Richard's experience with advocacy, the problem with the culture of modern Australia, and how indigenous and non-indigenous Australians can move forward together towards a lore of restoration — as Richard puts it, "Country is crying out for good people". It's a hard-hitting conversation at points, but one which provokes us and challenges us to improve, for the sake of Country and for ourselves.

To view this episode's show notes, visit https://arrc.au/country-is-crying-out-for-good-people-with-richard-swain-episode-23.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
🎙️ Listen to our other episodes: https://arrc.au/podcast/
🌱 Learn more about the Australian River Restoration Centre: arrc.au
Take Me to the River is an Australian River Restoration Centre podcast production, hosted by Dr. Siwan Lovett and produced by Chris Walsh, with support from the rest of the ARRC Team. ✨