Gavin has worked bi-culturally, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, for over twenty-five years both as a visual artist and a cultural geographer. L50K is a 15-year hard yakka regenerative project, with Gavin also dedicating his time to hands on research and outreach work. You can see the impact for yourself with this incredible video ‘Watch trees grow in 40 seconds! A 6.5 year timelapse!’
The land is a registered Aboriginal heritage site (SA Aboriginal Heritage Act), an ancient Aboriginal habitation site (campground) and part of a broader local cultural complex, likely occupied for several thousand years. That is why the dual name has been adopted. Cultural, archaeological, ecological and other scientific research is ongoing to better understand the deep history of the site.
In 2015 Lot 50 comprised 12 ha of abandoned, almost treeless, weed paddock devoid of indigenous vegetation, and a 4 ha degraded section of the Maslin Creek reed swamp. As the largest remnant reed swamp in greater Adelaide, this wetland is of high ecological and cultural importance.
L50K now features four ecosystems – a remnant reed swamp, remnant sedge lands, the re-generating grassy woodland and pasture hay production.
Gavin has been assisted by many volunteers, young and old, to plant 9,000 seedlings and has hosted many groups and visitors keen to learn more about the work at L50K. Tim Minchin and his BACK tour band and crew, spent a day planting as part of their carbon emissions awareness and responsibility initiative. You can watch a short film about their visit here.
Gavin took on this passion project firstly because he wanted to and secondly because he has children and grandchildren, determined that his legacy and their inheritance must be more than material wealth, degraded ecosystems and climate uncertainty.
"For many years I’d wanted land to just be on and to care for. I did not want such degraded land, but that’s what happened, and regeneration became my responsibility."
"Taking or making the opportunity to contribute to wellbeing, my own and inter-generationally, through ecosystem regeneration is profound. I want my legacy to be a contribution to cultural change which enables regenerative ecosystems, regenerative people and a regenerative economy, and I want to encourage others to do the same. We need to bequeath greater ecological health with less focus on economic wealth."
"Too many people are remote from caring for the land, sea and sky. They just don’t care or are wilfully ignorant and unwilling to engage with it. Regenerating land is a deeply emotional and rewarding experience. Our very existence, and that of our descendants, is dependent on ecosystems health. Make it happen. Please."