She works out of Shepparton where her deep knowledge of the community makes her a key contact for the region’s many natural resource management projects.

Shepparton has a large Aboriginal population and Lanie’s positive relationship with the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation ensures that Indigenous knowledge is built into GMLN projects. Her talent for delivering quality environmental education to both children and adults is well recognised across the region.

Lanie’s motto is: ‘If it isn’t fun, it won’t work.’ She develops targeted and appealing environmental messages. ‘Who’s come for dinner’ looks at animal tracks and scats. ‘Bonking in your backyard’ involves learning about frogs and their importance in the ecosystem. She has designed numerous games for children based on the value of using story to engage and educate. The water quality dilemmas faced by ‘Murray the fish’ as it travels down the local waterways are now part of the minds and imaginations of hundreds of Goulburn Valley children.

Lanie consistently comes up with innovative ways to share and spread the word whether it is working with multicultural arts projects or the local running club. She has also contributed to the development and implementation of the Broken-Boosey State Park Management Plan and the management of the Lower Goulburn National Park. She is also an executive member of the GMLN where her background in banking administration is highly valued.

Lanie and her husband Peter farm at Picola close to Barmah National Park. Their land is managed for productivity and sustainability – waterways are fenced, remnant vegetation is protected, and water use is efficient. Lanie is a long-standing member of the Superb Parrot Project. She devotes many weekends to planting roadsides, riparian reserves and private land to increase the foraging and nesting habitat of this endangered bird.