Bruce Champion knows most of the ridgelines, hills and gullies of Knocklofty Reserve like the back of his hand.
He knows its tracks and trails, and most importantly for the Friends of Knocklofty Bushcare group that cares for this unique bushland reserve, he has a deep understanding of its native plants.
The recipient of this year's Golden Secateurs award, which honours an outstanding contribution to nature by a City of Hobart Bushcare volunteer, Bruce's connection to Knocklofty Reserve stretches back more than 20 years.
His involvement started during a chance encounter with a work colleague at Salamanca Market.
"I was a good friend of the original Friends of Knocklofty coordinator, Tony Ault," says Bruce.
"He said the Friends of Knocklofty Bushcare group needs a plant person to help us recognise what are good plants and what are weeds in the reserve.
"I went and joined the group, and I've been with them now for about 25 years."
Sharing his knowledge
Bruce is a skilled native plant propagator and the Australian Plant Society Tasmania Hobart Group nursery coordinator at their Kingston Primary School nursery.
Once a year the group holds a special plant walk and talk in Knocklofty Reserve, which Bruce has been conducting. Bruce particularly loves helping children develop an interest in native plants and the wonders of propagating, which grows into a respect for a healthy environment.
He's shared a huge number of achievements with the Friends of Knocklofty Reserve Bushcare group, including the creation of the frog pond, the bandicoot corridor, helping rid the reserve of huge walls of gorse and creating directional and interpretation signs that tell the story of the reserve, from both cultural heritage and natural heritage perspectives.
"I get a great deal of joy just walking through the bush," says Bruce. "I get joy from seeing it without gorse, without Spanish heath, without broom."
More to do
The work caring for the natural values of Knocklofty Reserve is far from over. Yes, the group has made incredible achievements in bringing the urban bushland reserve back to life by ridding it of highly invasive environmental weeds, but threats remain.
"Forget-me-not is spreading through the bush at a fantastic rate," says Bruce. "It's just like gorse, it smothers the ground and stops other little native plants from growing."
Bruce is also deeply troubled by the impacts of climate change on Knocklofty Reserve's native plants, impacts he has watched grow.
Places once rich in native orchids and heath are now drying out and becoming bare patches of earth. The impacts of climate change are very real to Bruce. He sees it in the drying of the land, and the increasing number of dead and dying trees.
And yet he remains hopeful for the future.
"If you join Bushcare you learn how to maintain an area weed free. Weeds smother small plants, they smother young and tall plants.
"If you're part of a group taking weeds out of that equation you're helping young small plants grow into bigger, taller plants and trees, becoming an important part of the bushland around it."
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Stalwart Friends of Knocklofty Reserve Bushcare volunteers Rod Arnold, Bruce Champion, Greg Summers and Astrid Wright.