News

The health and wellbeing of our community is of utmost importance and Georges Riverkeeper is closely monitoring the advice and adhering to the directives of public health agencies to help stem the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community.

To address any concerns you may have regarding Coronavirus and recreational use of the Georges River, please refer to the latest information and advice provided by NSW Health:

‘What will happen to them? Notes on some dragonfly (Odonata) species that are susceptible to the impacts of global warming-induced climate change’ is the title of a new paper co-authored by Georges Riverkeeper Aquatic Ecologist Marion Huxley and published in The Victorian Naturalist.

Four of Sydney’s catchment groups have joined forces to tackle the problem of litter and other pollution in our local waterways. 

In July, the Cooks River Alliance, Georges Riverkeeper, Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG) and Sydney Coastal Councils Group will be launching the Love Your Waterways campaign. The month-long campaign encourages people to take up five simple actions to prevent litter, pet waste, gardening materials, chemicals and other pollutants from going into stormwater drains and out to local creeks, rivers, beaches, bays and other waterways:

With the COVID 19 situation escalating in Sydney, Georges Riverkeeper decided to hold the 24 June General Meeting online, rather than have Fairfield City Council host the meeting on location.

It was well attended by 27 people, including Councillors Adrian Wong, Michael Banasik, Rey Manoto, and Warren Tegg and staff from member councils as well as community representatives.

The Executive Group will be submitting a letter to the Honourable Shelley Hancock pushing for a catchment approach to the Coastal Management Program (CMP) with suggested changes in the legislation as the Coastal Management Act 2016 is up for review this year. We are also requesting that organisations, like Georges Riverkeeper, can apply for funding if they are driving the creation of the CMP or if they are responsible for conducting actions within a certified CMP.

Kalynda Georgiades is our new Project Support Officer/Administrator. She completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at UTS in 2017 and has since gained experience in administration in the medical field. 

Passionate about our environment and community-led projects, she has volunteered with various organisations such as the Cooks River Mudcrabs and Australian Conservation Foundation. This has furthered her interest in protecting the health and biodiversity and conservation of Sydney’s waterways and flora.

Georges Riverkeeper has a full complement of staff! The Executive Group welcomed Kalynda Georgiades at our Executive Group meeting, as Georges Riverkeeper’s Administration and Project Support Officer. Georges Riverkeeper help a very successful Paddle Against Plastic event last month in partnership with City of Canterbury Bankstown and the River Canoe Club, with representatives from Conservation Volunteers Australia and Oatley Flora and Fauna also supporting the event. We secured a lot of media coverage which was great.

The Georges Riverkeeper General Meeting was kindly hosted by Liverpool City Council at the Casula Powerhouse. Our guest speaker, Roshan presented on Liverpool City Council’s Water Quality Management Framework, which sets the direction on all water related elements to achieve best management practice.