Conversations 4 Conservation - Our Sunburnt Country

Next month we’re looking forward to hearing a short presentation by Alexandra Grove and talking about “Our Sunburnt Country” by Anika Molesworth. Meet our presenter: Alex Grove is a country  girl at heart. She was born in Biloela, Central Queensland,  however the family moved to Brisbane when she started school. Her parents moved back and she stayed on at boarding school.

It was during those trips home that she learnt to love the land. Holidays with friend’s families at their stations or helping her father around their smaller property was the essence of holidays. She remembers feeling broken hearted and couldn’t understand why when her father cleared his land to run cattle. Brigalow really wasn’t “rubbish” scrub in her opinion.

After living mostly in Brisbane and Sydney Alex and her husband Bruce moved to Bargara for 20 years. Here they became volunteers during the turtle season walking the beaches at night and relocating nests when the eggs were laid in precarious locations. They were also involved in a small Landcare project regenerating bushland along a creek that ran directly into the ocean.

Alex heard Anika Molesworth being interviewed on RN whilst they were on a road trip. Anika’s message resonated with Alex who has long held the belief that land can be managed differently although she realises that it will be a long slow process getting the majority of farmers on board to make the changes necessary.

Alex has been a supporter of ACF for at least 20 years. When she returned to Brisbane she decided it was time to become actively involved in the organisation. 

DATE: Saturday 9 November 2024

TIME: 10 am to 12 pm

PLACE: Garden City Library

Westfield Mt Gravatt, Level R4, Corner Logan and Kessels Road, Upper Mount Gravatt, QLD, 4122

About “Our Sunburnt Country”
Anika Molesworth fell in love with her family's farm, a sheep station near Broken Hill, at an early age. She formed a bond with the land as though it were a member of her family. When the Millennium Drought hit, though, bringing with it heatwaves and duststorms, the future she'd always imagined for herself began to seem impossible.

As she learned more about the causes of - and the solutions to - the extreme weather that was killing her land and her livelihood, Anika became fired up and determined to speak out. Talking to farmers and food producers all around the world, she soon realised that there was a way forward that could be both practical and sustainable - if only we can build up the courage to take it.

Beautifully written and full of hope, Our Sunburnt Country shows that there is a way to protect our land, our food and our future, and it is within our grasp.

About the Author
Anika Molesworth is a passionate advocate for sustainable farming, environmental conservation and climate change action. Hailing from her family's sheep station near Broken Hill, Anika is an agroecologist with a Masters of Sustainable Agriculture, and a PhD in Agricultural Science. She has been working in international agricultural development for the past six years, giving her a holistic perspective of agricultural issues at global scale. Anika is a founding director of Farmers for Climate Action, she writes frequently on her own website Climate Wise Agriculture and is a prominent youth voice in rural Australia with the Youth Voices Leadership Team.

Industry Reviews

'In Australia our climate debate can be depressing. In the hands of Anika Molesworth it is uplifting and full of hope.'
- Craig Reucassel

'Anika Molesworth invites us to imagine a better future. Read this book and be inspired.'
- Michael E. Mann

'In a hope-filled, personal tale framed by her family farm in a sun-baked landscape, Anika Molesworth weaves philosophy, science and a poet's eye into a heartwarming tale of how to help heal the planet.' 
- Matthew Evans

'This is an important, accessible and evocative book written by a farmer and scientist in that most vital of spaces: the future of our Earth. This book can be part of the solution.'
- Charles Massy

'A personal journey spurred by climate change in the west of NSW, learning what can be done and why it is worth doing.'
- Ross Garnaut

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Implied Film/Photo Consent

ACF Brisbane South & Logan will be photographing or videoing during this event.  Participation in the event is taken as implied consent for your image to be used in ACF publications including social media posts.  If you do not want your image to be used, please advise photographers/videographers.