A haven for Wildlife and People

2014Annual Report

Hunter Wetlands Centre

Hunter Wetlands CentreABN 59 002 975 144

1 Wetlands PlaceShortland NSW 2307

Incorporation and charitable status• Public company limited by guarantee under

the Corporations Act from 25 July 1985.Members are our current Directors.

• Registered Not-For-Profit with the Australian

Charities and Not-for-Profits

Commission from 3 December 2012.

ContentsWelcome

Our visionThe Chairmans Report

From the CEO

Wetlands Conservation & Management

Projects and Achievements Site Managers

The Thursday MobThe Nursery

Education The Education Centre

Ecotourism and RecreationThe Visitor Centre

Events and Activities

GoveranceOur volunteers

Our board of directors Financial Overview

Balance Sheet Income Statement

In November 1981 Dr Max Maddock, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Newcastle, leased part of the wetlands site for grazing horses. Dr Maddock noticed four species of Egrets had established a breeding colony in trees standing in a paperbark swamp on the site - Great, Intermediate, Little and Cattle egrets.

As his fascination with, and study of the breeding biology of the birds intensified, he developed a concept for using the building and wetlands as a biological education and research centre focusing on the egrets as one of its main features. The site began to generate considerable interest due to the diversity and rarity of waterbirds using the site.

Dr Stuart Blanch started as the new CEO in October 2014, and has been leading discussions about our future. With much of the Hunter Wetlands Centre already restored and revegetated, it is timely to ask “what’s next?”. Could we start a new wetland conservation project elsewhere in the Hunter estuary, along the NSW coast, or further afield? We’ve re-introduced Magpie Geese, and could we try re-introducing wallabies, brolga or bush-stone curlew? Can we develop strong partnerships with other landholders, groups and agencies in the Hunter estuary to strengthen our collaborations and joint projects? Perhaps we could even build accommodation on site to help people visit in the early morning or in the late afternoon?

Welcome to the “accidental” passion...

1986 - R John Price (State Member for Waratah), Brian Gilligan (HWCA Executive

Director), and Max Maddock (HWCA Chairman)

Everything we do at Hunter Wetlands Centre is guided by the following principles:

> Commitment to wise use of wetlands> Commitment to ecological sustainability> Respect diversity> Make decisions based on scientific research> Respect and value people> Act with integrity> Protect our credibility> Provide a safe environment for staff, volunteers and visitors> Achieve Financial stability> Commitment to community education> Foster community participation> Contribute beyond our boundaries> Value and actively seek collaborative partnerships

Wetlands conservation and management

Promoting and demonstrating sustainable conservation and management of wetlands through community participation

Education

Increasing and sharing our knowledge and understanding of Wetlands, and promoting the Ramsar convention

Tourism and recreation

Providing services and facilities to create high quality and enjoyable experiences for visitors that showcase wetland values

Governance

Meeting business requirements using ethical practice,achieving financial stability, and fostering communityinvolvement

Our vision

The Hunter Wetlands Centre will be recognised as a hub of leading practice in Wetlands conservation, education, tourism and management. We will engage our visitor and partner base by providing a unique, accessible and

sustainable wetlands experience.

2014 was a particularly difficult year for the Wetlands Centre. Our income for visitation, education centre, rents etc stayed fairly static in spite of increased marketing. The reality is that a passive environmental facility has limited appeal to the general public when other similar facilities can be visited at no cost. The cafe, while improving in quality, is still not reaching a breakeven point.

The one bright spot has been the contracts for the supply of plants for mining related developments. However these opportunities do not present themselves every day. The real disappointment has been the limited number of grants available from Federal and State Governments that in previous years has been our life blood. Unfortunately the bequest from Shirley Miller had to be used for recurrent expenditure but it was a great blessing in this tough year. It was always our wish that these funds could be used for capital improvements.

In spite of this negative year the Board and management are confident that we can trade out of these difficult times.

credentials as well as good management skills. His energy levels and ideas are exciting and, while he is fully aware of the challenges, is confident that he, with the Board support, can turn things around.

My belief is that we need something introduced that will appeal to a wider section of the community. To maintain the integrity of the Wetlands Centre for its environmental value is critical, but there must be new products/services introduced that will provide a better income stream.

The effort put in by volunteers, staff, management and the Board needs to be acknowledged.

Ben Chard PSM

Chairman

2014 also saw the retirement of our Chief Executive Officer of eight years; Ken Conway. Ken has done an outstanding job in that period and we wish him well in his retirement. The Board advertised and were successful in recruiting Dr Stuart Blanch from a responsible position in Darwin as the new CEO. Stuart brings to the Wetlands Centre outstanding environmental

Gone Fishing...

From the ChairmanBen Chard

Our amazing Hunter Wetlands Centre saw some major changes throughout 2014, much like wetlands do through the seasons and years, as we approach our 30th Anniversary in 2015.

We faced some major financial hurdles and staff changes, but notched up highlights too: major contracts were secured to grow one hundred and six thousand locally native plants, we hosted dozens of volunteers who are part of our community, Black Swans successfully raised chicks thanks to our growing fox control program, a large bequest was received from a valued member, and we started thinking about new strategic directions.

Just as wetlands naturally swell and shrink over the years as the weather blesses then stresses the land, so too our three-decade-old-venture has weathered good times and hard times.

As we contemplate what we’ve achieved since a small group of passionate people started a bold campaign to save the Shortland Wetlands in the early 1980s, we should apply the lessons learnt as we plan for the next 30 years

so we can grow our Centre and expand and extend our achievements to other wetlands in Australia and even abroad.

At this time it is worth remembering what has been achieved: a former rubbish dump and disused playing fields restored to freshwater wetlands, two hundred thousand native plants planted, around 40,000 annual visitors, scores of volunteers supported and enabled to make a difference, wildlife has returned, threatened waterbirds have been re-introduced, and the 43 hectare site declared a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.

People who planted trees and dug out weeds and learnt about nature in the early days of the Centre still do so today, week in and week out.

Our Centre remains a standout across Australia, being a community owned site run mainly by volunteers that is dedicated to wetland conservation and education for sustainability. We receive no guaranteed government or corporate funding to cover salaries or operational expenses, and generated almost three quarters of our funding from non-government sources in 2014.

Planning commenced in late 2014 for developing a new Strategic Plan for the period 2015-2020. This represents an important opportunity to build upon three decades of knowledge and experience restoring the site, and to look forward with optimism and ambition to what we can achieve together during the next five years, and well beyond. The new strategy needs to focus on delivering financial viability on behalf of our members and the wider community, growing engagement and support, and agreeing a suite of initiatives and reforms that will well serve the company in its fourth decade.

Reviews of organisational systems commenced to find efficiencies and improve outcomes by how we manage our finances and our people, improve engagement with our local community, and contract for services.

So we have much to celebrate, even as we – again – face difficult financial times and hard choices.

From the CEOStuart Blanch

Long term CEO Ken Conway announced his resignation early in the year after six years in the role of Operations Manager then CEO at the Hunter Wetlands Centre. Ken brought a very long list of skills in managing clubs and businesses in Newcastle, including the Newcastle Knights and Newcastle Workers Club, and his networks opened many doors to our centre. Ken ceased his role as CEO on 23 October. His retirement has not been without excitement, including a fishing trip deep into the Amazon, and he is still assisting us in developing the partnership with Canadian adventure racing company Mud Sweat and Tears to hold a major fundraising event for the Hunter Wetlands Centre in

November 2015 at Hope Estate.

On behalf of the staff, volunteers and members I express my sincere gratitude and thanks for his dedication and passion over these years to the Hunter Wetlands Centre.

Ken ConwayOperations Manager and CEOSeptember 2008 - October 2014

Farewe l l

As always, the role that our volunteer teams and team leader play in the day to day operation of the site cannot be underestimated. Without their continued support and assistance, we would not be able to continue to work on our project management responsibilities. Will and I have now been Site Managers for two years and we are incredibly thankful for the support of fellow staff and volunteers during that time. It would be impossible for us to get through the amount of reporting and on ground projects without their continued support. I would also like to thank Jackson and Sarah, our Globalinks interns, for assisting with project administration and operational requirements over the last year. Without their assistance, we would not have been able to complete our reporting and grant application requirements.

Environmental TrustWe have entered our final year of the current Environmental Trust grant, which guides several environmental projects on site. This grant is required to manage all aspects of the site and continue our rehabilitation, monitoring and operations management work, much of which wouldn’t be possible without this funding.

Weed management is an ongoing task undertaken by our dedicated volunteers. We are currently in the process of mapping high priority weeds on site and are developing and implementing a Vegetation Management Plan in 2015 to assist with setting priorities for weed control and recommended control techniques. Despite the loss of key team leaders, new volunteer teams are continuing the vital maintenance work required to keep the noxious weeds on site from spreading.

Hydrology

of Egrets and Ibis. This involves setting levels on our hydrology gates and releasing water from our system where possible to ensure that water flow is maintained and preventing the buildup of nutrients within the system. Water quality and groundwater monitoring is conducted regularly to measure key indictors including dissolved oxygen and available phosphates, allowing us to track our progress and measure the success of the program. We are also intending to monitor the level of nutrients, such as nitrogen, in Melaleuca Swamp next year as part of the program.

Biodiversity Fund ProjectOur bush regeneration and weed management activities continue, with an estimated 30,000 plants

Since the installation of the hydrology gates in 2013, we have been actively managing water levels across the site an attempt to control the nutrient levels in Melaleuca Swamp resulting from nesting populations

Site ManagersMatthew Stow & Will McCaffrey

planted during 2014. Much of this work has been completed as part of our Biodiversity Fund Project, which aims to meet several targets:

> Removal and control of weeds of national significance

> Revegetation of approximately 8ha of the site using a staged mosaic pattern

> Install 80 nest boxes across the site and install habitat piles to provide shelter for reptiles and small birds

> Ongoing maintenance of the site, includ ing follow up weeding and planting

> Monitoring and evaluation of the project at 6 month intervals

Our on ground works have also been supported by our Green Army team, who continue to work on Biodiversity and Environmental Trust targets. I have also been assisted by two Environmental Science interns through the Globalinks program. Their assistance on development and implementation of monitoring programs has been invaluable.

Mapping has been completed for 80 nest boxes that are due to be installed during 2015. Hunter Bird Observers Club representatives have assisted staff in selecting suitable areas and designs for the nest boxes, which will be installed as part of our Biodiversity Fund project. Two nest boxes have been installed to test their design and during monitoring, eggs were noted in one of the boxes. Monitoring of pest management species such as rabbits and foxes is an ongoing task. Approximately 56 fox baits were taken throughout our baiting program in 2014 and

strategies to control our low rabbit population numbers are being investigated for implementation in 2015.

Latham Snipe ProjectWe are continuing our work on Water Ribbon pond to restore and recreate habitat for the Latham Snipe through Aurizon’s Community Giving Fund Program. This project, lead by Jenny Castles, is due to be completed in May 2015 increasing potential Latham Snipe habitat by approximately 2 hectares.

The Aurizon Community Giving Fund will assist in the restoration of the East Asian Flyway, an important flight path for migratory birds. This will involve supplementing costs regarding the planting of new species, and removal of weeds and invasive species, creating new habitat for the Latham Snipe. The Latham Snipe Project will also assist in improving the aesthetics of the Hunter Wetlands Centre and enriching the education of many students, visitors and other community stakeholders.

Funds will assist in:

> Removal of different weeds and invasive species

Latham Snipe - Photo and quote courtesy of Birdlife Australia

Even when you know exactly where they are hiding in the grass, Latham’s Snipe are remarkably difficult to see. So well camouflaged, they blend into the background until, with a loud krek!, they suddenly burst from their hiding place, only to land somewhere nearby where they become instantly in-visible again.

Biodiversity Fund Project Area A WS83, 328 deg W - before and after

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> Revegetation of areas of degraded bushland

> collection of native seed from the Hunter Wetlands site

> Propagation of native tubestock in the Hunter Wetlands Nursery

LLS StormwaterWork on nine of our storm water drains began at the end of 2014, focusing on erosion and sediment control, filtering of pollutants, track stabilization and revegetation of disturbed areas. This work is being completed in partnership with Hunter Local Lands Services and with assistance from Newcastle City Council.

Article 3.2A program to monitor salt water intrusion into Ironbark Marsh was developed and implemented in 2014, and is being compiled into a report, with assistance and feedback from Department of Environment and Hunter Local Lands Services. This will inform us of a a vegetation management plan for the site and assist staff in adequately managing the transition from freshwater vegetation to salt

marsh and any potential impacts on fauna.

WetlandCare PartnershipAs a result of the higher tidal fluctuations, riparian vegetation along the banks of the canoe trail is also changing. These have lead to large Casuarina trees dying along the banks of the trail, falling over and tearing large sections of the bank away. In partnership with WetlandCare Australia, we have removed several of these trees during 2014 to prevent erosion and placed rock revetment along key sections of the bank. Mangrove recruitment in these areas has already begun and it is expected that they will establish quickly and stabilize the banks over time. More stabilisation work is due to be completed in 2015

FaunaAs usual the ‘wetlands’ have been full of wildlife, especially after recent rain events. We have had our annual egret breeding event on the Melaleuca Swamp, adult swans maintaining residence that have been raised from cygnets on site, an elusive musk duck, grebes breeding on BHP pond and the diverse mix of amphibian, reptilian and avian varieties that can be seen around the wetlands.

Another year and more success for our captive freckled duck program. We have been lucky enough for our population to continue to breed and successfully raise 12 ducklings

The Hunter Wetlands Centre and NPWS Newcastle Area hosted guided volunteer bush regeneration activities in the Hunter Estuary. The wetland activities included canoeing down the iconic Hunter River and its tributaries and swamp-walking to inaccessible areas to undertake vegetation work within these remote environments. This gave participants a unique experience, promote fitness and wellbeing and provide participants with opportunities to make an active contribution to wetland conservation.

Windyers Reach Creek,

August 2014

The Geoff Winnings’ Bridge Dedication

The ongoing success of the rehabilitation of Shortland Wetlands owes a lot to the passion and dedication of a great many people and volunteers. Geoff Winning has been one of the shining stars of this group.

Geoff was here from the very beginning in 1985. He was responsible for developing many of the ponds and tracks across our 45hectare site.

Between 1992 and 1995 he held almost every position - Site Manager, CEO as well as Financial Director and at the same time running our consulting arm. In 1995 he left to commence his own environmental consulting business. This business prospered until his death in 2010. His voluntary work for the Wetlands Centre did not end when he left to commence his own business. He remained a principal source of expert advice on most technical issues relating to the ongoing management of the Wetlands until his passing. He either produced, or was involved with, the production of many key documents for the site. These will be relied on for many years to come. He provided us with a soil profile map of the property, a plant species guide to match the soil conditions and hydrology studies. The hydrology studies involved preparation of many documents to solve serious problems affecting the long-term health of the various swamps on site.

in 2014. This has been largely due to the hard work and number of hours contributed to the program by volunteers and staff. The next step forward for the future of the program is establishing a viable and effective translocation proposal to soft release our offspring at the Hunter Wetlands Centre.

Our display tanks in the visitors centre are always a popular attraction for visitors to get an up close look at our wetlands reptiles. This has been especially popular

throughout the school holidays when we saw an in-crease in interest and numbers for our daily reptile show. This interest in our reptiles has not been lim-ited to on-site reptile talks as we are also seeing an increase in our off site ‘wetlands on wheels’ reptile shows.

The Thursday Mob is a registered Landcare Group. The Mob was formed in the early nineties and consists of Wetlands volunteers and members of the Newcastle Group of the Australian Plants Society (APS).

Mobsters are basically divided into two groups - the good, the bad and the ugly

The first group’s work is usually out in the field. This can be anywhere over our 45 hectare site. Much of their activity involves bush regeneration including replanting of our wonderful Australian flora over degraded portions of our property. They also plant and maintain the gardens surrounding the Visitors’ Centre and associated buildings and car parks.

The second group consists mostly of members from APS who work in the poly-house and propagation area located on the east side of the canoe shed.

Australian plants suitable for Newcastle gardens are available for sale each Thursday from 9 – 12. There is an excellent selection of tube stock for sale priced very reasonably.

Funds raised by the APS volunteers go towards the Wetlands Centre as well as APS club funds and the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens, located at Heatherbrae. Purchasers are not requested to pay an entry fee if they mention at reception they are on site to buy plants.

All Mobsters come together, converging from anywhere across the property, for a ‘cuppa’ mid morning. Over morning tea they form an enthusiastic mob enjoying conversation with other environmentally minded and hard working volunteers.

During this last year there were great improvements in the presentation of the APS plants for sale – new plant holding benches, better specimens for sale, professional labelling and a revamped shade house.

The “Thursday Mob”“Paddy” Lightfoot

The Hunter Wetland Centres 200 000th tree was planted in 2014

The NurseryKen Bayliss

Again the Hunter Wetlands native plant nursery has had a very successful year supplying 24,000 local providence plants to be planted on site as part of the biodiversity grant. There are 200 local native plant species that we grow on site with all seed collected within the confines of the Hunter Wetlands. Further to this, we have had several other projects including several 1000 plant orders for the National Parks & Wildlife Services for planting at several of their sites. Also plants for our very own Thursday group that continually improve the outlook of the site with planned plantings throughout the whole site including plants for the rainforest area.

Another important project the nursery has worked on is the 45,000 plant order from Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG). These are for establishing a habitat around their constructed Green and Golden Bell Frog ponds. These 16 ponds are located at Ash Island. BHP have also ordered 23,000 plants for their constructed Green and Golden Bell Frog ponds also at Ash island. This is part of their responsibility to establish ponds to replace Green & Golden Bell Frog habitat destroyed on Kooragang Island when they land farmed contaminated soil from the former BHP site.

The nursery have a very dedicated band of volunteers working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The potting-on-ladies are particularly skilled at their

task. They have achieved a 90% to 95% survival rate which to my mind is an exceptional effort. I must also say that the men who help with this activity are also very skilled, however the ladies stick to the task longer. Other activities at the Nursery include mowing and whipper snipping the area with ongoing work to keep the weed mats and hot houses free from weeds etc. Over time we have turned the nursery area into a very pleasant area to work in. The effort carried out to uplift the environmental aspect of the nursery area has been very successful with ongoing 3 monthly audits conducted by nursery volunteers to ensure the area remains environmentally sound. Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are mainly for activities in and around the nursery, Fridays mornings are kept for seed collecting across the site. We have a very dedicated band of seed collectors that are becoming very familiar with different plant species and when their seeds are ready for collecting . These are then prepared to ensure best possible germination results.

I should also mention the efforts of the nursery team that undertake the various nursery duties without having to be asked, they know what has to be done and just get on with it, it is a pleasure to lead such a great bunch of volunteers.

2014 was another busy and exciting year for the Wetlands Environmental Education Centre. Once again the school proved to be extremely popular, with large groups of students from local schools attending throughout the year.

Peter Jones and Carolyn Gillard are the permanent teaching staff; and Rhonda Atkins is the School Administration Manager. WEEC was also supported by a small team of casual teachers with a wide range of skills enabling them to teach across various curriculum areas and ages. This support is particularly necessary with large groups of students in order to comply with Department of Education and Communities requirements for

WEEC staff have continued to develop and deliver our core excursion programs for visiting students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Students participated in a wide range of investigations with the integration of technology a great drawcard. All programs are aligned with NSW syllabus requirements and designed to engage students and enhance learning.

2014 has seen the progressive rollout of the new Curriculum in NSW schools for Science, History, Mathematics and English. WEEC staff have been working hard during 2014 to review current educational programs and develop new programs to support the new syllabus documents as they are implemented in NSW.

Visiting schools predominantly come from the Hunter region, but also from Sydney and other areas of the state. 7277 students visited WEEC in 2014. This included 63% primary students, 37% high school students. 95% of schools were from the Hunter Region. Of the 23 Environmental Education Centres in the state, WEEC has one of the highest visitation rates.

New Teacher SupportWEEC frequently links with the Facility of

Eco News is a quarterly newsletter WEEC sends to all schools throughout the Hunter Region. This keeps teachers up to date with our excursion programs, regional environmental events, grant opportunities, and contacts. A copy is also published on the WEEC website.

http://www.wetlandseec.schoolwebsites.com.au/

Education at The University of Newcastle to support final year teachers. These teachers visit WEEC to learn about how to integrate fieldwork into their teaching and learning programs. They are also able to experience our great facilities and programs.

TechnologyIntegration of technology remains a focus in all aspects of the operation of Wetlands EEC. Opportunities to further integrate technology into excursion programs were sought and implemented where possible.

A large number of GPS units were purchased and integrated into a new engaging program for high school students. Staff also received professional learning from another EEC in their integration of such units.

The 2014 Net Promoter Score for the

Wetlands Environmental Education Centre was:

Promoters: 58 (95.5%)

Passive: 9 (4.5%)

Detractors: 0 (0.0%)

*A Net Promoter Score above 80 is considered an excellent result.

The Wetlands Environmental Education Centre

Peter Jones

Pre and post excursion video

conference opportunitiesDuring 2014 the opportunities for visiting schools to participate in a pre or post video conference were expanded and promoted. Take up by schools for VC’s has been slow at this stage, but should grow as awareness of this opportunity increases. By providing opportunities for video conferences before and after excursions we are able to prepare students for the fieldwork they will undertake on the day and consolidate the learning by students from their fieldwork.

Youth Eco Summit The Youth Eco Summit provided environmental workshops and speakers for over 2,000 students at Newington Armoury, Sydney in October. WEEC staff presented workshops on the story of energy over the two days.

Wet and Wildis an annual on-line competition for students in Stages 2, 3 and 4 run by Wetlands EEC integrating technology, research and environmental education. Students learn about Australian wetlands and the plants and animals that depend on them for survival. Approximately 3300 students from across New South Wales participated in this exciting event during 2014.

EvaluationEach school participating in an excursion program at Wetlands EEC is asked to complete an evaluation of the day. These evaluations allow for improvements to be made in line with school expectations. The evaluation includes a Net Promoter Score which asks whether they

Planet Savers

was held at HWCA as a celebration of World Environment Day in June. Short hands-on activities were provided by a number of environmental providers and students from Callaghan College Waratah Technology Campus to nearly 600 senior primary students over two days. Thanks go to HWCA staff and volunteers for the support they offered with student planting on the site as one of the activities. Planet Savers is an important event for Wetlands EEC and very popular with local schools and students and will continue in 2015.

Eco-Tourism and Marketing Report

Anna Ryan

In February 2015 Anna Ryan left the Hunter Wetland Centre. Her contribution was great and very much appreciated. The following report has been compiled from Anna’s reports throughout 2014.

“We had a great start to our year with the completion of the long-awaited bypass and the removal of our ‘cloak’ of scaffolding. In an effort to remind locals we’re here and a great place to visit, we began 2014 with a $2 entry special for January and February with a great result and record numbers for the summer months coming through our door. We achieved record numbers in canoe hire and the cafe enjoyed healthy patronage. Building a ‘buzz’ through word of mouth was our main aim of the campaign and this seemed to work well. In response to surveys taken over this time we decided to reduce our entry price to the wetlands site. We are always striving to ensure we offer good value to our visitors and supporters.

We have also recently ‘tweaked’ our membership program. There are two kinds of supporters of the Hunter Wetlands Centre – those who are really vested in the organisation; who volunteer and are passionate about the management of the wetlands and those who just like to come regularly to enjoy the site. The past 6 years has seen a large drop in memberships. In response to that we now offer an Annual Pass (individual or family) option as well as the individual membership. Both passes offer unlimited free entry for 12 months and a 10% discount in the gift shop. The membership comes with 4 complementary guest passes, a mailed hard copy of The Wetlander and voting rights at the AGM. We will also give you a ‘I support the Hunter Wetlands Centre’ sticker for your car, boat, bike or anywhere you can place it to help promote the centre.

In April I attended an Inbound Tour Operator

the international market with interest from a number of operators. The path to attracting solid numbers from international visitors is a long one, but we are on our way. We were featured as a recommended attraction on the Destinations NSW website and newsletter in June which is a great plug for us.

Congratulations to all of us for winning a Silver Award in the Hunter & Central Coast Tourism Awards this year. It is a mammoth effort to just get a submission in, let alone be awarded again. It is nice to be acknowledged for our hard work and our successes.

We submitted our entry for the Ecotourism category in Hunter Tourism Awards for the first time in five years. Participating in the Hunter Tourism Awards is a tool for sharpening our business and our visitor experience. Part of the process

requires examining our business plan, our successes, our failures, our customer service and product and the awards application requires a significant amount of work and research. I would like to thank our volunteers Peter Woods and TAFE marketing intern Annette Drummond-Hills for their hard work, the submission would not have been possible without

(ITO) showcase in Sydney as part of the L e g e n d a r y Pacific Coast Touring Route. This was a great introduction to

you. In preparation for our judging we will be making some simple improvements for our visitors including some new signage in the visitors centre displaying photos and some simple key wetlands messages. We plan to continue to make these improvements across the site, including relocating the rubbing plates to the sensory trail area.

School Holiday activities

School holiday activities were well attended throughout 2014.

Easter Adventures was a bumper day with over 380 attending the event. Thank you to all our staff and volunteers who helped out on the day. Unfortunately our photos of the day are scarce as our usual photographer turned grey and furry with long ears on the day and was otherwise occupied!

Our school holiday program, in April attracted many children. Tantrum Theatre returned with another great workshop; Reptillia – An Adventure in Cold Blood. The activities were well attended and enjoyed by all who participated. Thanks again to our volunteers Val, Josh and Peter who make it all happen on the day.

Weaving in the Wetlands In July (153 attended) and September/October (198 attended) we had two bumper school holiday seasons with some programs at capacity. We have tried a number of new activities to keep things fresh – our

Bush Beauty Day in July didn’t attract enough interest yet our Weaving in the Wetlands activity in October was a hit. The Bush Adventure Day has been our biggest success with the activity attracting good numbers from the public. It is also becoming very popular with OOSH groups and we’ve seen a doubling of the number of groups visiting since the beginning of the year. Our September/ October

holidays included a Creative Writing Course for children which was run by esteemed local writer, Jess Black. The day was a great success with numbers and while it neither made a profit or loss, it attracted kids and families who otherwise hadn’t been to the wetlands before and who loved what they found.

As a not-for-profit community organisation it is vital for the survival of the Hunter Wetlands Centre that we further promote ways of becoming financial. This is currently one of our greatest struggles.

Hunter to Harbour History TourThe end of November saw the launch

of our new Hunter to Harbour History Tour. We have partnered with Nova Cruises and the Newcastle Museum to offer this great experience to both locals and visitors. A rich experience of Newcastle is on offer that covers the Harbour, our industry, our relationship with the river and the estuary and its environmental values; and finishes with a picture of how these have shaped the city and people of Newcastle at the Museum. By all accounts the first tour was a great success and we look forward to building this

TheVisitor Centre- at a glance

Adult Entry 9595Family Entry 159Preschool Entry 1521Children 422Carers Entry 126Entertainment Book 237Functions 12268School Holiday Events 376Canoe Hire 1207Bike Hire 91

Weaving at

the Wetlands

into one of Newcastle’s best tourism experiences that is suitable for locals, their guests and visitors from afar. The collaboration took a lot of planning to get to the point of launching and there is a great deal of work that goes in to a venture such as this one.

The Wetlands and Wine Tour With the Cruise ship season commencing we launched our Wetlands and Wine tour; a collaboration with Inner City Winemakers and our new transport partner Newcastle Scenic Pub Tours. The Wetlands and Wine Tour is aimed at the Cruise market. The trial on the 18th December, with the arrival of the Rhapsody of the Seas and 2000 passengers, met with limited success. This product is being reviewed. While there has been interest in visiting the wetlands on previous cruises, our greatest challenge has been to get people out to our site. By offering a morning tour that takes in a scenic drive of the beaches, a guided tour of the wetlands and a tasting of local wines, we give visitors a great experience with time left over to continue to explore the city and to return to the ship for lunch. In time we aim to build this into a tour that we will run for locals and visitors.

I have presented the Hunter Wetlands Centre to a number of tour operators through specialist events run by the Legendary Pacific Coast Touring Route and Destinations NSW. This is a long term project to build our profile to operators who will help drive visitors from interstate and overseas, particularly in the Asian market. With the Asia Cup looming in January, we have already secured a tour of 30 people with one of Japan’s largest travel agencies. Securing this visit was assisted through a piece run by the magazine Japaralia which is distributed to over 30,000 Japanese ex-pats living in Sydney. The 9 page article on Newcastle was the first the magazine had run on a destination outside Sydney.

We held our first trivia fundraiser evening in May at the Gallipoli Legions Club. The evening was a lot of fun and we raised over $1200 for the centre. Cudos and thanks to Elisha, Shannon and Courtney for their organisation of the evening.

here on site and we have the Chapel area, marketing in this area had been minimal. Reasons for this have been to ensure that we have had the Cafe running as it should be and our wedding packages in place prior to advertising. Only now with the Wetlands running the cafe is it financially worth going after the wedding market. The open day invited a small number of local businesses to take part as we were ‘testing the waters’. They decorated a number of areas around the site – the deck, the Chapel and the dipnet jetty. Our contributors who took part were very happy with the day and are keen to help organise and be involved in another open day at a similar time of year in 2015. The weather was perfect and the site looked absolutely spectacular. While we only had about 60 people through on the day – we secured 2 bookings on the spot and quite a number of enquiries. We’ve also hosted 2 weddings and a commitment ceremony since then. Hopefully word of mouth will help build that momentum.

Unfortunately The Hunter Paddle Challenge was not run this year due to lack of sponsorship. While we still had a great deal of interest from paddlers, the cost of the insurance was unviable without financial support.”

I would especially like to thank those volunteers on the front desk and in the office who devote hours of their time to assisting me and who help keep the Hunter Wetlands running – you are very much appreciated! In particular I’d like to thank Val Noake and Peter Woods who have contributed greatly to the success of our school holiday program, our new tour products and all manner of things they do and the initiative they take. Without the help and support of our many

We look forward to the next one!

Wedding Open DayOn 12th October, we hosted a Wedding Open Day. While we have had a number of weddings

Volunteering @ the WetlandsKen Bayliss

Hunter Wetlands are currently conducting induction sessions monthly on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 11.00am. During the induction each potential volunteer is interviewed to assist with placing them in an area best suited to their experiences and/or desires. We also invite team leaders and other managers to meet the new volunteers at the conclusion of the induction session to ensure that the volunteer knows a familiar face on their first day. We are also instigating a system of maintaining contact with volunteers via email, where practical, to help counter the drop off between inductions and beginning their volunteering. As our volunteers provide a valuable service for the centre in performing the many and varied tasks that enable the centre to function, thrive and grow.

“Thank you to all the volunteers that helped make 2014”

Kenneth Bayliss

Paul Davidson

Marie Page

Kevin Morton

Bob Nieass

Anthony Townsend

Narelle Boswell

Roy Hall

Val Noake

John Kane

Wayne Hicks

Geoffrey Peter Taylor

Anne Chung

Terrence Moore

Tony Kitsos

Peter Woods

Frank Boswell

Glenys Palmer

Neil Cogan

Denis Hilder

Barbara Linsley

Leanne Donnelly

Renata Slott

Phillip Slott

Catherine King

Joshua Lethbridge

Dianne Greenwood

Darryl Thomson

Bernadette Byron

Stan Perkins

Ken Ross

Matthew Hobson

Geoffrey Nicholls

Mary Stubbs

Ian Rose

John Kerr

Craig Hicks

Anthony Kajic

Robert McNamara

Ian Carroll

Craig Bellamy

Michael Brown

Andre Urfer

John Gourley

Philip Cogan

Peter Mitchell

Malcolm Smith

Philip Nisbet

Sarah Tikka-Dills-Lovasz

Stefan Smolen

Steve Whitbread

Kathleen Smiley

Jan Giles

Craig McLoughlin

Steve Wisniewski

Michael Mulholland

Jackson Stogner

Jenny Castles

Kerryanne Milne

Lisa Smith

Benjamin Austin

Alan Ambler

Lenore Horvath

Peter Mateer

Kristina Houston

Sylvia Christen

Luke Lockwood

Michael Oates

Theresa Lilley

Angela Speering

Frances Grandidge

Darren Duggan

Danny Betts

James Mennie

Ren Lewis

Olivia Graham

Barbara Burke

James Hugo

Sandra Mudford

David Alward

Rodney Mudford

Bruce Tozer

Katherine Terpsma

Val Walker

Paddy Lightfoot

Kim Roberts

Peter Wood

Rhi Brown

Cath Tickle

Branko Trojak

John Mills

Paul Vella

Kim Pryor

Scott Beeston

Nicholas Heymans

Colin Vickers

Ruth King

John Stuart

Gary Griffith

Judy Brent

Caitlin Weekes

Ken Meadley

Nathan Russell

Matthew Lewis

Susan Carlton

Nelson Edwards

Colin Lawrence

Lorraine Mayo

Mark Hartwig

Jacob Bailey

Peter Mills

Robert (Bob) Grandidge

Kyle Quinnell

Annette Drum-mond-Hills

Elisha Bucking-ham

Robert King

Shannyn Bromage

Gordon Green

Kevin Keegan

Sandra Elias

Angelica Varhammar

Ryan Ames

David Rushton

Ellen Higgon

Richard Miles

Peter Jones

Kenneth Hamilton

Herbert Gatamah

Tyren Mundine

Benjamin Dykes

Michael Scott

Jill Miller

Gregory Slater

Lucita Encinas

Daniel Velecky

Trentan Knight

Jay Doughty

Michael Paver

Anne Kirsten

Barry Horvath

Alison Brenton

Lowell Bryant

Alexander Morrison

Mathew Woodward

Mikey Cominos

Fiona Hawke

Harry Dunn

Jessy King

Madeline Felton

Mark Gates

Lucy Bates

Robert Markey

Alice Iceton

Richard Duncombe

Kieron Weller

Tanya Wells

Hilary Kirchner

Bryce Davies

Mark Henley

Alfred Leong

Jaiden Wright

Monika Doughty

Max Gilbert

Bill Walker

Gabrielle Merrick

Joshua Ayscough

Joseph Grundy

Tim Goodall

Ben Hamilton

Jeff Cooper

Brianna Murray

Deborah Cochrane

Ross Melville

Phil Bates

Benjamin Hunt

Kaleb McKenzie

Mariana Pais Soto

Joy Finch

Will Hamilton

Sarah Ross

Travis Hawke

Jonathan Semken

Kate Maslen

Mark Speering

Diane Rogers

Kaitlyn York

Elisabeth Mut

Peter Boyd

Colin Snedden

Trent Nicol

Francoise McDonald

Luke Redpath

Tapiwa Garura

Mathew Brown

Paul Sunderland

Peta Harris

Peta Montgomery

Vicki Hall

Luis Henrique Gouvea

Diane Fairhall

Mary Russell

Yuanlu Gao

Ethel Raine

Ben Williams

Bruce Finch

Zac Youl

Robert Payne

Jodie Breedon

Jeffrey Samuel

Susan Sheehan

Georgia Lowen

Melissa Telford

Leanne Slow

Cathy Rich

Zoe Cox

Melissa Tan

Alexis Ting

Suezanne McCormack

Vanessa Walters

Angela Roberts

Robert McCormack

Jake Relf

Husain Alqaffas

John Birks

Wanli (Cindy) Yang

Vilhiam Cherri

Katerin Saavedra-Assis

Mohammed Ajrash

Melissa Wood

Keith Howard

Alaa Ali

Eunmi Kang

Sandra Rojas Penaranda

Ursula Keane

Moeko Neyama

Brandon Johnston

Sophie Cominos

Connor Fitzsimmons

Ernesto Weierbacher

Fiona Pfennigwerth

Jeffrey Raw

Shandala Loving

Wayne Zeal

Hendrik De Vries

“Thank you to all the volunteers that helped

make 2014”

Our Board of Directors

Ben Chard, Chairman

Former Coordinator of the Hunter Region for the Department of Premier and Cabinet Recipient of the Public Service Medal 2008

Mary Greenwood, Community Representative

PhD in Environmental Science (Plant Ecology) (University of Newcastle). Qualifications in Horticulture and Landscape Design & Management, Regional Weed Strategist, The Hunter & Central Coast Regional Environmental Management Strategy

Carolyn Gillard, Department of Educationand Training Representative

Dip Teach, Ass Dip Applied Science (Landscape), Cert Horticulture. Teacher at Wetlands Environmental Education Centre since 1993 Australian Association of Environmental Education (Regional delegate) Australian Institute Landscape Designers and Managers (Fellow) Australian Plants Society (NSW delegate)

Christine Prietto, Community Representative

BA, Teachers Certificate, MEdStud Member Environment Institute of Aust. and New Zealand

David Crofts,Community Representative

BSC (Hons), Grad Dip. Local Gov’t Management, Grad Dip Urban & Regional, Planning, Company Directors Diploma, Fellow of Aust. Institute of Company Directors, Aust. Institute of Management, Planning Institute of Aust. (CPD).

Jenny Castles,Hunter LandcareRepresentative

Co-ordinator Shortland to Wallsend Landcare Member Newcastle Catchment Committee Member HWCA Site Committee Life Member Hunter Region Landcare. Appointed April 2011

John Stuart,Community Representative

MB BS, FRACP, DCH, MMedSc

Nicole Holmes,Hunter Water Representative

B App Sc (Bio and Chem Tech) Member of the Aust. Water Association.

Deon Van RensburghOEH Representative

Bachelor of Applied Science Area Manager National parks, recreation and Heritage

Peter Jones

Department of Education and Training Representative

Principal, Wetlands Environmental Education Centre and Awabakal Environmental Education Centre

Peter NelsonCommunity Representative

BSc (Hons) PhD, Chem. Cert. Assoc. Dip Art Retired, formerly Senior Environmental Adviser, NSW Department of Planning; Senior Policy Officer, NSW Climate Change Office.Former Chair of Lake Macquarie Catchment Management Committee and The Premiers Taskforce for Lake Macquarie, Deputy Chair Central Coast Catchment ManagementCommittee.

Financial Overview

Revenue for the year was $1.033 million, a pleasing increase of 8.5% over revenue of $0.952 million in 2013.

Grants contributed 26.8% of revenue, followed by Spoonbill Café (24.5%), Centre Income (17.2%) , Nursery (14.0%), lease of offices and buildings including visits by school groups to the Wetlands Environmental Education Centre (10.1%), and Visitor Centre (8.5%).

Whilst other aspects of the company’s finances merit attention and concern, it’s well worth acknowledging and celebrating that our 30 year old community-owned, not-for-profit company raised a million dollars for wetland conservation and environmental education during a year of shrinking government grants and a tightening economy.

Nursery

$140k

Fundraising

and Donations

$110k

Leasing

$62k

Profit after expenses per

Business Unit

WEEC Field

Study

$40k

Visitor

Centre

$12kMembers

$5k

Cafe

-$26k

___________________________________________________________________________________ SHORTLAND WETLANDS CENTRE LIMITED 5. A.B.N. 59 002 975 144__________________________________________________________________________________________ STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOMEFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 __________________________________________________________________________________________

Note 2014 2013$ $

Revenue from continuing activities 4 1,033,026 951,776

Other income 5 13,303 6,496

ExpensesAdvertising and marketing (85,315) (114,417)Cost of sales and direct project costs (599,961) (587,719)Depreciation expense 6 (117,208) (116,445)Finance costs (7,320) (6,857)Insurance (37,920) (36,874)Loss on sale of investments - (48,431)Maintenance costs (12,360) (19,337)Management costs (68,236) (105,254)Professional fees (37,073) (18,532)Site operating costs (116,600) (178,462)Other expenses (17,891) (46,050)

(Loss)/surplus before income tax (53,556) (320,106)

Income tax expense - -

(Loss)/surplus for the year attributable to the members (53,556) (320,106)

Other comprehensive income / (loss) Changes in the fair value of financial assets (10,936) 68,158

Other comprehensive income / (loss) for the year (10,936) 68,158

Total comprehensive income / (loss) for the year attributable to the members (64,492) (251,948)

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements

___________________________________________________________________________________ SHORTLAND WETLANDS CENTRE LIMITED 6. A.B.N. 59 002 975 144 ___________________________________________________________________________________STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONAS AT 31 DECEMBER 2014___________________________________________________________________________________

Note 2014$

2013$

ASSETS

CURRENT ASSETSCash and cash equivalents 7 119,369 83,279Trade and other receivables 8 18,767 18,250Inventories 9 8,331 6,565Other current assets 10 - 733

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 146,467 108,827 NON-CURRENT ASSETSAvailable-for-sale financial assets 11 26,677 84,957Property, plant and equipment 12 3,108,706 3,196,184Intangible assets 13 432 432

TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS 3,135,815 3,281,573 TOTAL ASSETS 3,282,282 3,390,400 CURRENT LIABILITIESTrade and other payables 14 91,020 134,374Provisions 15 31,622 29,794

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 122,642 164,168 NON-CURRENT LIABILITIESTrade and other payables 14 - 2,100

TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES - 2,100 TOTAL LIABILITIES 122,642 166,268 NET ASSETS 3,159,640 3,224,132 EQUITYReserves 16 496,678 507,614Retained Surpluses 2,662,962 2,716,518

TOTAL EQUITY 3,159,640 3,224,132

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

___________________________________________________________________________________ SHORTLAND WETLANDS CENTRE LIMITED 8. A.B.N. 59 002 975 144 ___________________________________________________________________________________STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 ___________________________________________________________________________________

2014 2013$ $

Cash Flows From Operating Activities Receipts from customers 737,003 661,850 Interest received 2,659 2,774 Grants received 280,479 377,913 Donations and sponsorships received 111,410 28,257 Sponsorship received - 9,033 Payments to suppliers and employees (1,121,820) (1,198,787)

Net cash inflows / (outflows) from operating activities 9,731 (118,960) Cash Flows From Investing ActivitiesPayment for property, plant and equipment (29,730) (18,715)Payment for available-for-sale investment (4,096) -Proceeds from sale of available-for-sale financial assets 58,286 81,686Distributions received 1,899 -

Net cash inflows / (outflows) from investing activities 26,359 (18,715) Cash Flows From Financing ActivitiesRepayment of borrowings - (27,976)

Net cash inflows / (outflows) from financing activities - (27,976) Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 36,090 (83,965) Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of year 83,279 167,244

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of year 7 119,369 83,279

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

Notes:

Notes:

Hunter Wetland CentreAnnual Report 2014