By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
KAREN Alexander of Emerald has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of her work in environmental conservation.
Ms Alexander has been working in the environmental sector for 40 years across various groups and organisations.
She grew up in Belgrave, where as her backyard she enjoyed five acres of bushland connected to Sherbrooke forest.
Even as early as eight years old, Ms Alexander developed a love and passion for the bush and environmental conservation.
“I’m lucky and I had parents who cared about the environment and were respectful of it,” she said.
“Ever since I can remember my parents would take me into the forest, especially when the lyrebirds were singing and dancing.”
Ms Alexander first studied maths at university but later transferred into a natural resource management degree.
Having undertaken her studies in Tasmania, she saw the flooding of Lake Pedder and said she was deeply distressed by it.
“When they came to flood the Franklin River I was angry enough to help stop the dam,” she said.
“It was then I began work with what was then a new organisation called The Wilderness Society.”
It was with the newly-formed Wilderness Society that Ms Alexander started working in the community sector.
Since then she has worked in many roles across different environmental groups and organisations all over the country.
She continues to hold vice-presidency of Farm Tree and Landcare Association as well as being a campaign supporter of The Wilderness Society, Australian Conservation Foundation and several others.
She has also worked with Parks Victoria, in Tasmania with a tin mining outfit, was president of Bush Heritage Australia, Deputy Campaign Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation, runs the community fireguard group in Emerald, help set up the Cardinia Environment Coalition, and many more.
Ms Alexander’s passion for environmental preservation led to her being involved in Bush Heritage’s first buy of a large block of land for preservation on Carnarvon Station in Queensland.
She also cares for the environment closer to home as well, planting native vegetation and letting natural regrowth occur on her 24-acre property in Emerald.
Ms Alexander has been living in in Emerald since 1997 after moving from the city and won Emerald Citizen of the year in 2014 her for local Landcare work.
“I love the city but I need the bush,” she said.
“I need to be able to see it and look at it.”
She said that receiving this award was an absolute honour, but she was so shocked she “had to have a sit down.”
Ms Alexander was especially honoured by the recognition as she says most of her work took place out of the public eye.
“I think of the people who have worked with me on a whole range of issues, often for nothing,” she said.
“It’s a really nice honour for the people who work behind the scenes more.”
Despite running for public office as a member of The Greens, Ms Alexander sais she wasn’t so good at the public image side of things.
“I’m much better at seeing the solutions to things, getting people involved in it, creating a project, running with it for a while, and doing the lobbying involved with getting that solution implemented.”
Her advice is that anyone looking to protect or preserve the natural landscape shouldn’t be afraid to approach their local MP or even a minister.
“There are a lot of people in government to talk to and they are there to represent your views,” she said.
