Wal has a business background with his Australia-wide mapping company being recognised as 2001 Queensland Business of the Year. Wal was also recognised as the Gold Coast’s 2016 Environmental Citizen of the Year. He is President of Watergum and coordinates Austinville Landcare. Over the last 40 years he and his wife Heather have restored their 25 Ha property from an ex-banana farm to a weed free Nature Refuge. Wal spends his free time birdwatching, swimming and being with his family and valley community.

Paul is a valuable asses to the Watergum committee with his extensive experience in the environmental field, having worked for Griffith University, WWF, Greening Australia and the Qld National Parks Association, before settling at Healthy Land and Water, managing their Biodiversity Conservation Team. Paul is extremely passionate about the natural environment and is a keen Field Botanist. In his spare time, he can be found photographing wildflowers or taking his daughters on outdoor adventures.

As a Chartered Accountant and a long-term teacher in the Business School at Griffith University, Heather brings valuable experience to our organisation in her accounting / finance role. Heather also has a love of Australian native flora and landscapes and is a keen bush walker. She is an active member of Austinville Landcare, Flowers by Friends and enjoys working in rainforest restoration. Along with husband Wal, Heather has dedicated the last 40 years of her life to restoring her land into prime habitat for native species

David is a solutions-based thinker and environmental actionist. He combines his business and creative backgrounds with his passion for community and environment to find unique solutions to local environmental issues. He heads Koalas On the Green, a grassroots environmental organisation that creatively connects businesses and communities with biodiversity. Together with his wife, he volunteers as a koala rescuer with Wildcare Australia. David spends his free time trekking in nature.

Natalie’s passion is the environment we share, and the community we live in. She has worked as an Environmental Scientist for 30 years, and 28 of those have been servicing the beautiful Gold Coast environment. During this time she has gained the respect of environmental scientists, industry leaders, Local and State Governments, and community groups. This allows her to work across a number of sectors to achieve real environmental outcomes. And she loves Platypus! Natalie developed Watergum’s PlatypusWatch Program.

Along with his partner Gaby, Andrew fulfils his primary passion by managing Dundas Nature Refuge, a 43Ha land tract of old vine, dry rainforest on the border of D’Aguilar National Park in the hinterland of Brisbane. Professionally, Andrew is a lawyer practicing in corporate and intellectual property lawyer since 2001, which makes him a real asset to the Watergum committee. Andrew has been a great team member for Watergum, sharing his knowledge across our initiatives and strengthening our outcomes.

Rosalinde is our Chief Executive Officer. She is passionate about everything nature and loves working for Watergum and with the local community. Rosalinde has a B.Sc (Hons) in Wildlife management (Coastal habitats and community engagement) and is the 2019 Queensland Young Landcare Leader. Her main passion is environmental research and connecting community to science. Rose spends her free time rescuing wildlife for Wildcare Australia, caring for orphaned possums and gliders, on the beach or in her organic garden.

Emily has a degree in history and a passion for the natural environment and community outreach. In her spare time Emily plays netball, takes lessons is Horsemanship and volunteers for Wildcare Australia raising orphaned birds for release. She is also completing her own bush-regen project at home as well as restoring an old Queenslander with her partner. Emily started working for Watergum in 2019 and delivers much of our community engagement work and leads numerous programs.

Kristyn is an environmental science graduate majoring in ecology and conservation. Since graduating she has undertaken a variety of volunteering roles focused on ecological research and restoration. Kristyn has a passion for native flora and fauna, and a keen enthusiasm for conservation. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga, bush walking and tending to her veggie garden. Kristyn’s works focuses on making sure all contracts are delivered in a timely manner and leads the Source Protection Program.

Kelsi has a degree in Environmental Science, majoring in Ecology and Conservation, with previous experience in academic and non-profit spheres. Her role largely involves delivering the Cane Toad Challenge, and she is passionate about growing our citizen scientist network and performing data analysis/visualisation behind the scenes. Outside of work, Kelsi enjoys weekend adventures camping and escaping to nature.

Aleta is Watergum’s admin whizz! She will be answering your calls and helping the team to stay organised and on track behind the scenes. With a background in finance and the veterinary industry, and 5 years of being a dedicated Wildcare Australia and Currumbin Wildlife Hospital volunteer, Aleta has a passion for our native wildlife and protecting their habitat. Since joing Watergum Aleta has found a new passion for Platypus Watching and you will find her assisting on our regular surveys.

Jackson is currently studying Bachelor of Environmental Planning and Science at Griffith University. He is a passionate conservationist and environmentalist, with a particular interest in urban ecology/biodiversity and botany. His passion is reflected in his extensive voluntary and professional work experience. Jackson delivers Watergum’s citizen science programs and enjoys working with the community doing what he loves.

Jenna has a Bachelor Degree in Ecology and Environmental Science, majoring in Freshwater Ecology and Eco-Chemistry. She has worked as the lead Environmental Advisor in the mining industry before taking on her role with us at Watergum working on the Biodiversity Credit Scheme. She loves our citizen science programs, and uses her AUSRIVAs accreditation to run macroinvertebrate sampling sessions. In her spare time, Jenna loves to get out bush walking and spending time in our gorgeous freshwater creeks.